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Naoko Kurahashi Neilson, PhD, postdoctoral research associate, University of Wisconsin, Madison

 

High-energy neutrinos are thought to be emitted by astronomical objects such as active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray bursts, and supernova remnants. However, due to their small predicted flux and large backgrounds from neutrinos and muons made in the earth's atmosphere, they had not been observed until now. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory instruments a cubic kilometer of ice at the geographic South Pole to detect neutrinos mostly above 100GeV. Discovery of astrophysical neutrinos, or neutrinos originating outside the solar system, will be reported, as well as the quest to determine their exact sources, which would signal the birth of neutrino astronomy.