IceCube

IceCube (or IceCube Neutrino Observatory) is a neutrino detector located at South Pole Station consisting of a Cherenkov detector incorporating a cubic-kilometer volume of ice located 1500 to 2500 meters below the surface, not far above the bedrock. It detects neutrinos, by sensing Cherenkov radiation generated as the neutrinos pass through the ice faster than light's reduced speed within that ice. It aims to determine the direction from which the higher-energy neutrinos arrive, so sources can be identified and the arrivals can be correlated with other phenomena such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). It went into operation in 2005, replacing and incorporating an earlier neutrino detector, AMANDA (for Antarctic Muon And Neutrino Detector Array).

The terms high energy event and high energy starting event (HESE) have been used for IceCube detections of particularly high energy, which are of special interest given the suggestion that they come from other than the usual neutrino sources, and could be associated with other astrophysical high-energy phenomena such as supernova, GRBs, etc.

IceCube-Gen2 is a planned expanded version of IceCube, the plan being developed in the early 2020s. It is to incorporate more types of sensors, monitoring a larger volume. The hope is construction in the late 2020s, with completion in the early 2030s.