Halzen Francis, Klein Spencer R
Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, 1150 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
Rev Sci Instrum. 2010 Aug;81(8):081101. doi: 10.1063/1.3480478.
Neutrino astronomy beyond the Sun was first imagined in the late 1950s; by the 1970s, it was realized that kilometer-scale neutrino detectors were required. The first such instrument, IceCube, is near completion and taking data. The IceCube project transforms 1 km(3) of deep and ultratransparent Antarctic ice into a particle detector. A total of 5160 optical sensors is embedded into a gigaton of Antarctic ice to detect the Cherenkov light emitted by secondary particles produced when neutrinos interact with nuclei in the ice. Each optical sensor is a complete data acquisition system including a phototube, digitization electronics, control and trigger systems, and light-emitting diodes for calibration. The light patterns reveal the type (flavor) of neutrino interaction and the energy and direction of the neutrino, making neutrino astronomy possible. The scientific missions of IceCube include such varied tasks as the search for sources of cosmic rays, the observation of galactic supernova explosions, the search for dark matter, and the study of the neutrinos themselves. These reach energies well beyond those produced with accelerator beams. The outline of this review is as follows: neutrino astronomy and kilometer-scale detectors, high-energy neutrino telescopes: methodologies of neutrino detection, IceCube hardware, high-energy neutrino telescopes: beyond astronomy, and future projects.
太阳之外的中微子天文学最早是在20世纪50年代末被构想出来的；到了20世纪70年代，人们意识到需要千米规模的中微子探测器。首个这样的仪器——冰立方中微子天文台（IceCube）已接近完工并开始采集数据。冰立方项目将1立方千米深层且超透明的南极冰层转化为一个粒子探测器。总共5160个光学传感器被嵌入到10亿吨南极冰层中，以探测中微子与冰层中的原子核相互作用时产生的次级粒子所发出的切伦科夫光。每个光学传感器都是一个完整的数据采集系统，包括一个光电管、数字化电子设备、控制和触发系统以及用于校准的发光二极管。光模式揭示了中微子相互作用的类型（味）以及中微子的能量和方向，从而使中微子天文学成为可能。冰立方的科学任务包括诸如寻找宇宙射线源、观测星系超新星爆发、寻找暗物质以及研究中微子本身等各种不同的任务。这些任务所涉及的能量远远超过加速器束流产生的能量。本综述的大纲如下：中微子天文学与千米规模探测器、高能中微子望远镜：中微子探测方法、冰立方硬件、高能中微子望远镜：超越天文学以及未来项目。
