High-energy neutrinos are thought to be emitted by astronomical objects
such as active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray bursts, and supernova
remnants. However, due to their small predicted flux and large
backgrounds from neutrinos and muons created in the atmosphere, they had
not been observed until now. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory
instruments a cubic kilometer of ice at the South Pole to detect
neutrinos mainly above 100GeV. In a high-energy (>20TeV) data set from
the first couple of years of the full detector, an excess above
atmospheric backgrounds is observed. These neutrino events are
incompatible in energy spectrum and arrival direction, therefore they
are the first observation of astrophysical neutrinos. Studies on the
arrival direction are performed to determine the exact astronomical
sources, signaling the birth of neutrino astronomy.
Event Details
Date/Time:
-
Date:Monday, February 3, 2014 - 10:00am
Location:
Pettit Bldg, Conference Room 102 A&B
