Speaker
Segev BenZvi
(University of Rochester)
Description
The recent observation of PeV neutrinos at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory has revived interest in deploying large-exposure optical air shower detectors at the South Pole. The main challenge for such detectors, which were last deployed at the Pole in the 1990s, is the poor atmospheric conditions prevalent during austral winter. To investigate the clarity of the atmosphere we have studied archival weather data from the Atmospheric Research Observatory at the South Pole. Using several years of winter measurements with radiosondes and the MPLNET 532 nm lidar station, we obtained estimates of the cloud coverage and optical clarity of the site. Based on past data, it is likely that an optical detector will achieve <45% uptime during the dark period at the Pole, making the total annual live time comparable to the live time of optical air shower detectors in the middle latitudes.
| Registration number following "ICRC2015-I/" | 151 |
|---|---|
| Collaboration | -- not specified -- |
Primary author
Segev BenZvi
(University of Rochester)
