At the South Pole, buried approximately 2,400 meters in an Antarctic ice sheet, is a telescope—a cubic kilometer in volume—operated by researchers from UW-Madison.
The National Science Foundation recently signed a $34.5 million agreement with the university to pay for the operation of the telescope and the IceCube Neutrino Observatory.
The NSF award will allow the researchers to bring data from the South Pole to Madison, use it for physics analysis and then distribute the data to collaborators.
Scientists from Germany, Belgium and Sweden contributed to the construction of the observatory and more than 250 scientists from around the world analyze the observatory's data.
The focus of the research is neutrinos, which are smaller than a single atom, have no electrical charge and can pass through large, solid objects such as earth.
The telescope detects when neutrinos collide with ice molecules and allows researchers to determine the direction the neutrino came from and its energy, according to IceCube project director Jim Yeck.
Yeck said although the research is mainly ""basic science,"" it may provide breakthroughs in other scientific areas.
""It's a discovery tool,"" Yeck said. ""We are looking to identify point sources for high-energy neutrinos, but if history is any guide, we are as likely to discover things we are not looking for as what we are looking for.""
Yeck said the award is recognition that the university was successful with the construction and is believed to be successful with the operation stage as well.
""It's a clear recognition that UW has the talent and the capabilities to take on large complex science projects,"" Yeck said.
