Scientists award Nobel Prize for ice Neutrino detector
Scientists working with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory near the South Pole have received a major physics award for their groundbreaking work.
Researchers melted nearly one hundred holes in the ice to install basketball-sized light detectors deep within the frozen ground. These sensors sit in vertical lakes where water quickly refreezes around them after installation.
The equipment detects blue light that appears when high-energy neutrinos collide with ice molecules during powerful cosmic processes. This light helps astronomers track particles that originate from distant and fascinating regions of the universe.
Pictured in 2010, one of the last detector strings was lowered into the freezing abyss to complete the massive array. This project stands as the largest neutrino detector ever created by human hands and advanced technology.
A founding member of the IceCube Collaboration will be honored with the Nobel Prize in Physics for these achievements. The announcement comes after the team made unprecedented discoveries using their unique underground observatory setup.