Neutrinos from Beyond the Solar System Found (Images)

Highest Energy Neutrino Ever Observed

This image shows the highest energy neutrino ever observed (1.14 petaelectronvolts), which scientists named 'Ernie,' as seen by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole on Jan. 3, 2012. Image released Nov. 21, 2013.

IceCube Laboratory at the South Pole

The IceCube Laboratory at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica is the world's largest neutrino detector. Its computers collect raw data on neutrino activity from sensors in the ice that look for light emitted when neutrinos strike.

IceCube Neutrino Observatory's Sensors

This graphic depicts the IceCube Neutrino Observatory's sensors, which are distributed over a volume of 1 cubic kilometer of clear Antarctic ice. Under the ice, 5,160 DOM sensors operate at depths between 1,450 and 2,450 meters. The observatory includes the densely instrumented subdetector DeepCore and a surface air shower array, called IceTop.

Digital Optical Module in IceCube Neutrino Observatory

A digital optical module (DOM) being lowered into the hole of an IceCube Neutrino Observatory string at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. The IceCube detector consists of 86 strings of DOMs -- which look for light when neutrinos strike the ice – vertically spaced about 17 meters apart.

Completion of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory

Completion of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. After six years of deployment, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory was completed in December 2010.

Members of the IceCube Collaboration

Members of the IceCube Collaboration before the deployment of the last DOM, installed on December 18, 2010.

IceCube Neutrino Observatory Infographic

This infographic explains the goal and function of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica.