CAREER: Discovery of Composition-Enriched Cosmic Ray Anisotropy with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $900,000 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Cosmic rays, which are mostly made up of atomic nuclei, carry energies that far exceed what we can achieve with our human-made accelerators. Despite this, many important details about where these rays come from, how they gain energy, and how they travel through space are still not fully understood. Unlike neutral particles, such as gamma rays or neutrinos, cosmic rays are affected by magnetic fields in galaxies. This interaction complicates our ability to trace them back to their original sources. This project leverages the IceCube Neutrino Observatory located at the South Pole to examine extensive air showers that occur when cosmic rays collide with the Earth’s atmosphere. The project includes a strong educational component designed to engage high school and undergraduate students in practical physics research. This will be achieved through outreach programs, and with the development of new curriculum modules that focuses on data science in physics. By introducing students to the latest machine learning techniques applicable to particle astrophysics, we aim to cultivate essential computational skills that will benefit them in both academic and professional settings. This research combines data from IceTop, IceAct, and the IceCube in-ice detector to achieve the first enhanced measurement of cosmic-ray anisotropy in the southern hemisphere. Using data from various detection methods the project aims to better understand the mass composition, energy, and arrival directions of

Key facts

NSF award ID
2443575
Awardee
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SD)
SAM.gov UEI
CJAJYT2KW771
PI
Matthias Plum
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
Windows on the Universe (WoU), Artificial Intelligence (AI), CAREER-Faculty Erly Career Dev, ANTARCTIC AERONOMY & ASTROPHYS, EXP PROG TO STIM COMP RES
Estimated total
$900,000
Funds obligated
$900,000
Transaction type
Continuing Grant
Period
07/01/2025 → 06/30/2030