Two postdoctoral researchers at the Technical University of Munich’s School of Natural Sciences (TUM NAT) in Prof. Elisa Resconi’s Experimental Physics with Cosmic Particles research group, Dr. Andrii Terliuk and Dr. Colton Hill, have departed for a pivotal deployment of upgraded hardware for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole. Their work marks a major milestone in the long-term international effort to advance neutrino astronomy and particle physics. 

The IceCube array currently consists of over 5000 modules, which represent global collaboration between researchers and institutes in Germany, Japan, the United States, and beyond. Since 2019, approximately 800 new modules have been developed and tested. After drilling nearly 3km into the Antarctic glacier, these new devices will be attached to long cables ("strings"), facilitating power transfer and communications to the IceCube Lab on the ice surface. In total, seven new strings are planned, which will significantly enhance the observatory’s sensitivity to lower-energy neutrinos and enable more precise measurements of fundamental particle properties.

Terliuk, who oversees the production and calibration of key modules at TUM, described his role as both scientific and managerial. “Dedicated calibration devices are key objectives of the IceCube Upgrade project,” he said, noting the responsibility of ensuring timely production and deployment. Hill, who helped develop the light detection modules, emphasized the invisible labor behind large-scale science. “Nobody gets fantastic results without someone testing the hardware before it’s shipped to the South Pole,” he said.

Both researchers expressed excitement and a sense of privilege about traveling to Antarctica. For Terliuk, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the experiment’s foundational deployment. Hill, returning for a second season, looks forward to reconnecting with international colleagues and witnessing the culmination of years of work.

Beyond the scientific goals, the team is also contributing to an art-science collaboration led by Prof. Armin Linke (Academy of Fine Arts of Munich), documenting their experiences through logbooks, audio, and photography to humanize the scientific process and preserve its cultural significance.

Once deployed, the IceCube Upgrade will not only enable new discoveries in neutrino physics but also allow reanalysis of past data with improved calibration—potentially unlocking insights hidden in a decade’s worth of observations. 

More information and links

• The IceCube project and Upgrade is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the German Electron Synchrotron DESY, the Helmholtz Association, the German Research Foundation (DFG), and contributions from participating universities and the EU. See: https://icecube.wisc.edu/collaboration/funding/
• Prof. Elisa Resconi's Experimental Physics with Cosmic Particles research group https://www.ph.nat.tum.de/cosmic-particles/experimental-physics-with-cosmic-particles
• IceCube Neutrino Laboratory https://icecube.wisc.edu/

• Prof. Armin Linke, Academy of Fine Arts of Munich www.adbk.de/en/akademie-en/staff/professors/prof-armin-linke.html

   

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