The University of Wisconsin’s IceCube Research Center will be hosting celebrations in honor of the 100th anniversary of the first-ever trek to the South Pole this upcoming Tuesday.
Roald Amundsen’s historical trip made IceCube’s and other Antarctic research possible, according to researchers involved with UW’s neutrino research in the South Pole.
UW professor and IceCube Principal Investigator Francis Halzen noted how much research has changed since Amundsen’s historic landing.
“I find it amazing that the South Pole, 100 years after Amundsen left a tent on the site, is the location of one of the greatest science sites on the planet,” he said.
IceCube Computing Analyst Steve Barnet echoed the sentiment. Barnet said he considers Amundsen’s trek “a fairly amazing achievement,” especially considering these original explorers lacked the amenities available for researchers today.
These resources, such as arriving via airplane, heated facilities and decent food, prove useful during the three months the program is able to actually operate in the South Pole.
According to the project’s website, the IceCube facility was finished December of 2010 after seven years of construction.
IceCube is one of the world’s premier neutrino telescopes. It is located at the South Pole and consists of thousands of detectors frozen in the pole’s ice that gauge the movement of neutrinos and offer glimpses into our universe.
IceCube Computing Analyst Steve Barnet said the neutrinos seen by the telescope are unique as their trajectories are not affected by matter. Hence, the neutrinos are not affected by electromagnetic fields unlike other similarly charged particles.
“When you see a neutrino, you can pretty much draw a straight line back along its path,” he said.
This telescope offers a new way to look at what surrounds us, IceCube researcher Mark Krasberg said.
Krasberg also described IceCube as a “pure science experiment” as the telescope not only offers glimpses of things never seen before but helps foster a hope of finding something “totally unexpected.”
“There aren’t any direct commercial goals,” Krasberg said. “The main goal is to discover the unexpected. A lot of different studies and analyses are being done with the data.”
According to Barnet, the South Pole environment was chosen as it was well-suited for neutrino study for being very dark and well-protected.
The ice at the South Pole also has several benefits to the study, according to the project’s website. This includes being clear, which makes it easier to record neutrino interactions.
Krasberg said the centennial of the first journey to the pole highlights the research being conducted at IceCube.
“There’s been … an explosion of tourism because of the 100th anniversary,” Krasberg said. “Hundreds of people are going to the South Pole this year.”
IceCube will be celebrating the centennial at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery Tuesday, according to the statement. The celebration will offer presentations and hands-on activities for visitors to experience Antarctic life and history, including a chance to sign a Bucky Badger flag that will go to the South Pole.
The exhibit will be open from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
