Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 12/06/2010 - 16:55
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IceCube: In-ice Antarctic Telescope 2010

what are the five most important/ fascinating facts about IceCube?

Sun, 12/19/2010 - 22:02

Katey Shirey

It's pretty hard to narrow down the list of neat things about IceCube to five things only, but I'll try my best.1. By identifying sources of neutrinos IceCube will help us to understand our universe in completely new ways. The IceCube research can even lead to understandings about the Big Bang, dark matter, or even dark energy.
2. IceCube is at the South Pole not because it's remote, but because the ice is so clear that it transmits photons easily. The ice at the South Pole is best because it's deep and dark, and it also has the South Pole Station on top of it, and they're really a great outfit!
3. Ice Cube is closing in on completing 86 holes. Each one is melted 2.45 km into the ice.
4. "Each down-hole string is at least 2,500 meters long and contains 18 four-wire cables for supplying power and communications to the DOMs. In addition, there is another 500-meter (average) surface cable that connects to the ICL and provides an additional four wires for IceTop Power. That’s 11,648 miles of copper wire that all meets at the ICL!" Quote from James Roth
5. The dedicated crew that works on IceCube is almost like a family. Their combined experience, perseverance, and camaraderie has helped IceCube to finish successfully.