Search

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory has been continuously taking data to search for O(0.5-10) s long neutrino bursts since 2007. Even if a Galactic core-collapse supernova is optically obscured or collapses to a black hole instead of exploding, it will be detectable via the O(10) MeV neutrino burst emitted during the collapse. We discuss a search for such events covering the time between 2008 April 17 and 2019 December 31. Considering the average data taking and analysis uptime of 91.7% after all selection cuts, this is equivalent to 10.735 yr of continuous data taking. In order to test the most conservative neutrino production scenario, the selection cuts were optimized for a model based on an 8.8 solar mass progenitor collapsing to an O-Ne-Mg core. Conservative assumptions on the effects of neutrino oscillations in the exploding star were made. The final selection cut was set to ensure that the probability to detect such a supernova within the Milky Way exceeds 99%. No such neutrino burst was found in the data after performing a blind analysis. Hence, a 90% C.L. upper limit on the rate of core-collapse supernovae out to distances of approximate to 25 kpc was determined to be 0.23 yr-1. For the more distant Magellanic Clouds, only high neutrino luminosity supernovae will be detectable by IceCube, unless external information on the burst time is available. We determined a model-independent limit by parameterizing the dependence on the neutrino luminosity and the energy spectrum., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad07d1

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory instruments about 1 km3 of deep, glacial ice at the geographic South Pole. It uses 5160 photomultipliers to detect Cherenkov light emitted by charged relativistic particles. An unexpected light propagation effect observed by the experiment is an anisotropic attenuation, which is aligned with the local flow direction of the ice. We examine birefringent light propagation through the polycrystalline ice microstructure as a possible explanation for this effect. The predictions of a first-principles model developed for this purpose, in particular curved light trajectories resulting from asymmetric diffusion, provide a qualitatively good match to the main features of the data. This in turn allows us to deduce ice crystal properties. Since the wavelength of the detected light is short compared to the crystal size, these crystal properties include not only the crystal orientation fabric, but also the average crystal size and shape, as a function of depth. By adding small empirical corrections to this first-principles model, a quantitatively accurate description of the optical properties of the IceCube glacial ice is obtained. In this paper, we present the experimental signature of ice optical anisotropy observed in IceCube light-emitting diode (LED) calibration data, the theory and parameterization of the birefringence effect, the fitting procedures of these parameterizations to experimental data, and the inferred crystal properties., Peer Reviewed

IceCube alert events are neutrinos with a moderate-to-high probability of having astrophysical origin. In this study, we analyze 11 yr of IceCube data and investigate 122 alert events and a selection of high-energy tracks detected between 2009 and the end of 2021. This high-energy event selection (alert events + high-energy tracks) has an average probability of >= 0.5 of being of astrophysical origin. We search for additional continuous and transient neutrino emission within the high-energy events' error regions. We find no evidence for significant continuous neutrino emission from any of the alert event directions. The only locally significant neutrino emission is the transient emission associated with the blazar TXS 0506+056, with a local significance of 3 sigma, which confirms previous IceCube studies. When correcting for 122 test positions, the global p-value is 0.156 and compatible with the background hypothesis. We constrain the total continuous flux emitted from all 122 test positions at 100 TeV to be below 1.2 x 10-15 (TeV cm2 s)-1 at 90% confidence assuming an E -2 spectrum. This corresponds to 4.5% of IceCube's astrophysical diffuse flux. Overall, we find no indication that alert events in general are linked to lower-energetic continuous or transient neutrino emission., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad18d6

We present the results of a search for 10-1000 GeV neutrinos from 2268 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) over 8 yr of IceCube-DeepCore data. This work probes burst physics below the photosphere where electromagnetic radiation cannot escape. Neutrinos of tens of giga electronvolts are predicted in sub-photospheric collision of free-streaming neutrons with bulk-jet protons. In a first analysis, we searched for the most significant neutrino-GRB coincidence using six overlapping time windows centered on the prompt phase of each GRB. In a second analysis, we conducted a search for a group of GRBs, each individually too weak to be detectable, but potentially significant when combined. No evidence of neutrino emission is found for either analysis. The most significant neutrino coincidence is for Fermi-GBM GRB bn 140807500, with a p-value of 0.097 corrected for all trials. The binomial test used to search for a group of GRBs had a p-value of 0.65 after all trial corrections. The binomial test found a group consisting only of GRB bn 140807500 and no additional GRBs. The neutrino limits of this work complement those obtained by IceCube at tera electronvolt to peta electronvolt energies. We compare our findings for the large set of GRBs as well as GRB 221009A to the sub-photospheric neutron-proton collision model and find that GRB 221009A provides the most constraining limit on baryon loading. For a jet Lorentz factor of 300 (800), the baryon loading on GRB 221009A is lower than 3.85 (2.13) at a 90% confidence level., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad220b

The understanding of novae, the thermonuclear eruptions on the surfaces of white dwarf stars in binaries, has recently undergone a major paradigm shift. Though the bolometric luminosity of novae was long thought to arise directly from photons supplied by the thermonuclear runaway, recent GeV gamma-ray observations have supported the notion that a significant portion of the luminosity could come from radiative shocks. More recently, observations of novae have lent evidence that these shocks are acceleration sites for hadrons for at least some types of novae. In this scenario, a flux of neutrinos may accompany the observed gamma rays. As the gamma rays from most novae have only been observed up to a few GeV, novae have previously not been considered as targets for neutrino telescopes, which are most sensitive at and above TeV energies. Here, we present the first search for neutrinos from novae with energies between a few GeV and 10 TeV using IceCube-DeepCore, a densely instrumented region of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory with a reduced energy threshold. We search both for a correlation between gamma-ray and neutrino emission as well as between optical and neutrino emission from novae. We find no evidence for neutrino emission from the novae considered in this analysis and set upper limits for all gamma-ray detected novae., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acdc1b

The LIGO/Virgo collaboration published the catalogs GWTC-1, GWTC-2.1, and GWTC-3 containing candidate gravitational-wave (GW) events detected during its runs O1, O2, and O3. These GW events can be possible sites of neutrino emission. In this paper, we present a search for neutrino counterparts of 90 GW candidates using IceCube DeepCore, the low-energy infill array of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. The search is conducted using an unbinned maximum likelihood method, within a time window of 1000 s, and uses the spatial and timing information from the GW events. The neutrinos used for the search have energies ranging from a few GeV to several tens of TeV. We do not find any significant emission of neutrinos, and place upper limits on the flux and the isotropic-equivalent energy emitted in low-energy neutrinos. We also conduct a binomial test to search for source populations potentially contributing to neutrino emission. We report a nondetection of a significant neutrino-source population with this test., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aceefc

We present a catalog of likely astrophysical neutrino track-like events from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. IceCube began reporting likely astrophysical neutrinos in 2016, and this system was updated in 2019. The catalog presented here includes events that were reported in real time since 2019, as well as events identified in archival data samples starting from 2011. We report 275 neutrino events from two selection channels as the first entries in the catalog, the IceCube Event Catalog of Alert Tracks, which will see ongoing extensions with additional alerts. The Gold and Bronze alert channels respectively provide neutrino candidates with a 50% and 30% probability of being astrophysical, on average assuming an astrophysical neutrino power-law energy spectral index of 2.19. For each neutrino alert, we provide the reconstructed energy, direction, false-alarm rate, probability of being astrophysical in origin, and likelihood contours describing the spatial uncertainty in the alert's reconstructed location. We also investigate a directional correlation of these neutrino events with gamma-ray and X-ray catalogs, including 4FGL, 3HWC, TeVCat, and Swift-BAT., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/acfa95

The Galactic plane, harboring a diffuse neutrino flux, is a particularly interesting target in which to study potential cosmic-ray acceleration sites. Recent gamma-ray observations by HAWC and LHAASO have presented evidence for multiple Galactic sources that exhibit a spatially extended morphology and have energy spectra continuing beyond 100 TeV. A fraction of such emission could be produced by interactions of accelerated hadronic cosmic rays, resulting in an excess of high-energy neutrinos clustered near these regions. Using 10 years of IceCube data comprising track-like events that originate from charged-current muon neutrino interactions, we perform a dedicated search for extended neutrino sources in the Galaxy. We find no evidence for time-integrated neutrino emission from the potential extended sources studied in the Galactic plane. The most significant location, at 2.6 sigma post-trials, is a 1.degrees 7 sized region coincident with the unidentified TeV gamma-ray source 3HWC J1951+266. We provide strong constraints on hadronic emission from several regions in the galaxy., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acf713

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory sends realtime neutrino alerts with a high probability of being astrophysical in origin. We present a new method to correlate these events and possible candidate sources using 2089 blazars from the Fermi-LAT 4LAC-DR2 catalog and with 3413 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from the Radio Fundamental Catalog. No statistically significant neutrino emission was found in any of the catalog searches. The result suggests that a small fraction, <1%, of the studied AGNs emit neutrinos that pass the alert criteria, and is compatible with prior evidence for neutrino emission presented by IceCube and other authors from sources such as TXS 0506 + 056 and PKS 1502 + 106. We also present cross-checks to other analyses that claim a significant correlation using similar data samples., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acdfcb

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have long been considered a possible source of high-energy neutrinos. While no correlations have yet been detected between high-energy neutrinos and GRBs, the recent observation of GRB 221009A-the brightest GRB observed by Fermi-GBM to date and the first one to be observed above an energy of 10 TeV-provides a unique opportunity to test for hadronic emission. In this paper, we leverage the wide energy range of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory to search for neutrinos from GRB 221009A. We find no significant deviation from background expectation across event samples ranging from MeV to PeV energies, placing stringent upper limits on the neutrino emission from this source., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acc077Correction in: ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS, Volume 970, Issue 2DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad654b

In this work, we present the results of searches for signatures of dark matter decay or annihilation into Standard Model particles, and secret neutrino interactions with dark matter. Neutrinos could be produced in the decay or annihilation of galactic or extragalactic dark matter. Additionally, if an interaction between dark matter and neutrinos exists then dark matter will interact with extragalactic neutrinos. In particular galactic dark matter will induce an anisotropy in the neutrino sky if this interaction is present. We use seven and a half years of the High-Energy Starting Event (HESE) sample data, which measures neutrinos in the energy range of approximately 60 TeV to 10 PeV, to study these phenomena. This all-sky event selection is dominated by extragalactic neutrinos. For dark matter of similar to 1 PeV in mass, we constrain the velocity-averaged annihilation cross section to be smaller than 10(-23) cm(3)/s for the exclusive mu(+) mu(-) channel and 10(-22) cm(3)/s for the b (b) over bar channel. For the same mass, we constrain the lifetime of dark matter to be larger than 10(28) s for all channels studied, except for decaying exclusively to b (b) over bar where it is bounded to be larger than 10(27) s. Finally, we also search for evidence of astrophysical neutrinos scattering on galactic dark matter in two scenarios. For fermionic dark matter with a vector mediator, we constrain the dimensionless coupling associated with this interaction to be less than 0.1 for dark matter mass of 0.1 GeV and a mediator mass of 10(-4) GeV. In the case of scalar dark matter with a fermionic mediator, we constrain the coupling to be less than 0.1 for dark matter and mediator masses below 1MeV., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2023/10/003

Dark matter particles in the Galactic Center and halo can annihilate or decay into a pair of neutrinos producing a monochromatic flux of neutrinos. The spectral feature of this signal is unique and it is not expected from any astrophysical production mechanism. Its observation would constitute a dark matter smoking gun signal. We performed the first dedicated search with a neutrino telescope for such signal, by looking at both the angular and energy information of the neutrino events. To this end, a total of five years of IceCube’s DeepCore data has been used to test dark matter masses ranging from 10 GeV to 40 TeV. No significant neutrino excess was found and upper limits on the annihilation cross section, as well as lower limits on the dark matter lifetime, were set. The limits reached are of the order of 10−24 cm3/s for an annihilation and up to 1027 s for decaying dark matter. Using the same data sample we also derive limits for dark matter annihilation or decay into a pair of Standard Model charged particles., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.108.102004

Beginning in 2016, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory has sent out alerts in real time containing the information of high-energy (E & GSIM; 100 TeV) neutrino candidate events with moderate to high (& GSIM;30%) probability of astrophysical origin. In this work, we use a recent catalog of such alert events, which, in addition to events announced in real time, includes events that were identified retroactively and covers the time period of 2011-2020. We also search for additional, lower-energy neutrinos from the arrival directions of these IceCube alerts. We show how performing such an analysis can constrain the contribution of rare populations of cosmic neutrino sources to the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux. After searching for neutrino emission coincident with these alert events on various timescales, we find no significant evidence of either minute-scale or day-scale transient neutrino emission or of steady neutrino emission in the direction of these alert events. This study also shows how numerous a population of neutrino sources has to be to account for the complete astrophysical neutrino flux. Assuming that sources have the same luminosity, an E (-2.5) neutrino spectrum, and number densities that follow star formation rates, the population of sources has to be more numerous than 7 x 10(-9) Mpc(-3). This number changes to 3 x 10(-7) Mpc(-3) if number densities instead have no cosmic evolution., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acd2ca

The D-Egg, an acronym for "Dual optical sensors in an Ellipsoid Glass for Gen2," is one of the optical modules designed for future extensions of the IceCube experiment at the South Pole. The D-Egg has an elongated-sphere shape to maximize the photon-sensitive effective area while maintaining a narrow diameter to reduce the cost and the time needed for drilling of the deployment holes in the glacial ice for the optical modules at depths up to 2700 m. The D-Egg design is utilized for the IceCube Upgrade, the next stage of the IceCube project also known as IceCube-Gen2 Phase 1, where nearly half of the optical sensors to be deployed are D-Eggs. With two 8-inch high-quantum efficiency photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) per module, D-Eggs offer an increased effective area while retaining the successful design of the IceCube digital optical module (DOM). The convolution of the wavelength-dependent effective area and the Cherenkov emission spectrum provides an effective photodetection sensitivity that is 2.8 times larger than that of IceCube DOMs. The signal of each of the two PMTs is digitized using ultra-low-power 14-bit analog-to-digital converters with a sampling frequency of 240 MSPS, enabling a flexible event triggering, as well as seamless and lossless event recording of single-photon signals to multi-photons exceeding 200 photoelectrons within 10 ns. Mass production of D-Eggs has been completed, with 277 out of the 310 D-Eggs produced to be used in the IceCube Upgrade. In this paper, we report the design of the D-Eggs, as well as the sensitivity and the single to multi-photon detection performance of mass-produced D-Eggs measured in a laboratory using the built-in data acquisition system in each D-Egg optical sensor module., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/18/04/P04014

Core-collapse supernovae are a promising potential high-energy neutrino source class. We test for correlation between seven years of IceCube neutrino data and a catalog containing more than 1000 core-collapse supernovae of types IIn and IIP and a sample of stripped-envelope supernovae. We search both for neutrino emission from individual supernovae as well as for combined emission from the whole supernova sample, through a stacking analysis. No significant spatial or temporal correlation of neutrinos with the cataloged supernovae was found. All scenarios were tested against the background expectation and together yield an overall p-value of 93%; therefore, they show consistency with the background only. The derived upper limits on the total energy emitted in neutrinos are 1.7 x 10(48) erg for stripped-envelope supernovae, 2.8 x 10(48) erg for type IIP, and 1.3 x 10(49) erg for type IIn SNe, the latter disfavoring models with optimistic assumptions for neutrino production in interacting supernovae. We conclude that stripped-envelope supernovae and supernovae of type IIn do not contribute more than 14.6% and 33.9%, respectively, to the diffuse neutrino flux in the energy range of about [ 10(3)-10(5)] GeV, assuming that the neutrino energy spectrum follows a power-law with an index of -2.5. Under the same assumption, we can only constrain the contribution of type IIP SNe to no more than 59.9%. Thus, core-collapse supernovae of types IIn and stripped-envelope supernovae can both be ruled out as the dominant source of the diffuse neutrino flux under the given assumptions., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acd2c9

Galactic PeV cosmic-ray accelerators (PeVatrons) are Galactic sources theorized to accelerate cosmic rays up to PeV in energy. The accelerated cosmic rays are expected to interact hadronically with nearby ambient gas or the interstellar medium, resulting in gamma-rays and neutrinos. Recently, the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) identified 12 gamma-ray sources with emissions above 100 TeV, making them candidates for PeVatrons. While at these high energies the Klein-Nishina effect exponentially suppresses leptonic emission from Galactic sources, evidence for neutrino emission would unequivocally confirm hadronic acceleration. Here, we present the results of a search for neutrinos from these gamma-ray sources and stacking searches testing for excess neutrino emission from all 12 sources as well as their subcatalogs of supernova remnants and pulsar wind nebulae with 11 yr of track events from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. No significant emissions were found. Based on the resulting limits, we place constraints on the fraction of gamma-ray flux originating from the hadronic processes in the Crab Nebula and LHAASO J2226+6057., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acb933

This paper presents the results of a search for neutrinos that are spatially and temporally coincident with 22 unique, nonrepeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) and one repeating FRB (FRB 121102). FRBs are a rapidly growing class of Galactic and extragalactic astrophysical objects that are considered a potential source of high-energy neutrinos. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory's previous FRB analyses have solely used track events. This search utilizes seven years of IceCube cascade events which are statistically independent of track events. This event selection allows probing of a longer range of extended timescales due to the low background rate. No statistically significant clustering of neutrinos was observed. Upper limits are set on the time-integrated neutrino flux emitted by FRBs for a range of extended time windows., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acbea0

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory will be upgraded with more than 700 additional optical sensor modules and new calibration devices. Improved calibration will enhance IceCube's physics capabilities both at low and high neutrino energies. An important ingredient for good angular resolution of the observatory is precise calibration of the positions of optical sensors. Ten acoustic modules, which are capable of receiving and transmitting acoustic signals, will be attached to the strings. These signals can additionally be detected by compact acoustic sensors inside some of the optical sensor modules. With this system we aim for calibration of the detectors' geometry with a precision better than 10 cm by means of trilateration of the propagation times of acoustic signals. This new method will allow for an improved and complementary geometry calibration with respect to previously used methods based on optical flashers and drill logging data. The longer attenuation length of sound compared to light makes the acoustic module a promising candidate for IceCube-Gen2, which may have optical sensors on strings with twice the current spacing. We present an overview of the technical design and tests of the system as well as analytical methods for determining the propagation times of the acoustic signals., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1059

We present an overview of the art project Aganta Kairos (To Fish the Metaphysical Time). This project celebrates the neutrino-the ghost particle-which scientists consider a cosmic messenger and the artist regards as a link between people who care about their relationship to the cosmos and question their origins. The artwork is based on a performance of celebration and seeks to build a human community that encompasses different knowledge domains and interpretations of the universe. This intersection of knowledge is realized during the performance of placing a plaque, held with witnesses, and during subsequent exhibitions. Images, sounds, videos, and sculpture testify to the diversity of approaches to questioning our origins, ranging from traditional western science to ancient shamanism. The sites were selected for their global coverage and, for the South Pole, Mediterranean, and Lake Baikal, their connection to ongoing neutrino experiments. In December 2020, a plaque was installed at the South Pole IceCube Laboratory, the seventh and final site. We provide examples of images and links to additional images and videos., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1381

On 22 September 2017, IceCube reported a high-energy neutrino event which was found to be coincident with a flaring blazar, TXS 0506+056. This multi-messenger observation hinted at blazars contributing to the observed high-energy astrophysical neutrinos and raised a need for extensive correlation studies. Recent work shows that the internal absorption of gamma rays, and their interactions intrinsic to the source and with the extragalactic background, will cause a lack of energetic gamma-ray and neutrino correlation while hinting towards a correlation between neutrinos and lower photon energy observations in the X-ray and radio bands. Studies based on published IceCube alerts and radio observations report a possible radio-neutrino correlation in both gamma-ray bright and gamma-ray dim active galactic nuclei (AGN). However, they have marginal statistical significance due to limited available data. We present a correlation analysis between 15 GHz radio observations of AGN reported in the MOJAVE XV catalog and 10 years of IceCube detector data and discuss the results derived from a time-averaged stacking analysis., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.0949

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory first observed a diffuse flux of high energy astrophysical neutrinos in 2013. Since then, this observation has been confirmed in multiple detection channels such as high energy starting events, cascades, and through-going muon tracks. Combining these event selections into a high statistics global fit of 10 years of IceCube's neutrino data could strongly improve the understanding of the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux: challenging or confirming the simple unbroken power-law flux model as well as the astrophysical neutrino flux composition. One key component of such a combined analysis is the consistent modelling of systematic uncertainties of different event selections. This can be achieved using the novel SnowStorm Monte Carlo method which allows constraints to be placed on multiple systematic parameters from a single simulation set. We will report on the status of a new combined analysis of through-going muon tracks and cascades. It is based on a consistent all flavor neutrino signal and background simulation using, for the first time, the SnowStorm method to analyze IceCube's high-energy neutrino data. Estimated sensitivities for the energy spectrum of the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux will be shown., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1129

We present performance studies of a segmented optical module for the IceCube-Gen2 detector. Based on the experience gained in sensor development for the IceCube Upgrade, the new sensor will consist of up to eighteen 4 inch PMTs housed in a transparent pressure vessel, providing homogeneous angular coverage. The use of custom molded optical 'gel pads' around the PMTs enhances the photon capture rate via total internal reflection at the gel-air interface. This contribution presents simulation studies of various sensor, PMT, and gel pad geometries aimed at optimizing the sensitivity of the optical module in the face of confined space and harsh environmental conditions at the South Pole., For complete list of authors see https://doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1041

With infrared luminosities LIR ≥ 1012L⊙, Ultra-Luminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs) are the most luminous objects in the infrared sky. They are predominantly powered by starburst regions with star-formation rates ≳ 100 M⊙ yr−1. ULIRGs can also host an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Both the starburst and AGN environments contain plausible hadronic accelerators, making ULIRGs candidate neutrino sources. We present the results of an IceCube stacking analysis searching for high-energy neutrinos from a representative sample of 75 ULIRGs with redshift z ≤0.13. While no significant excess of ULIRG neutrinos is found in 7.5 years of IceCube data, upper limits are reported on the neutrino flux from these 75 ULIRGs as well as an extrapolation for the full ULIRG source population. In addition, constraints are provided on models predicting neutrino emission from ULIRGs., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1115

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole detects Cherenkov light emitted by charged secondary particles created by primary neutrino interactions. Double pulse waveforms can arise from charged current interactions of astrophysical tau neutrinos with nucleons in the ice and the subsequent decay of tau leptons. The previous 8-year tau double pulse analysis found three tau neutrino candidate events. Among them, the most promising one observed in 2014 is located very near the dust layer in the middle of the detector. A posterior analysis on this event will be presented in this paper, using a new ice model treatment with continuously varying nuisance parameters to do the targeted Monte Carlo re-simulation for tau and other background neutrino ensembles. The impact of different ice models on the expected signal and background statistics will also be discussed., For complete list of authors see https://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1146

For the in-ice component of the next generation neutrino observatory at the South Pole, IceCube-Gen2, a new sensor module is being developed, which is an evolution of the D-Egg and mDOM sensors developed for the IceCube Upgrade. The sensor design features up to 18 4-inch PMTs distributed homogeneously in a borosilicate glass pressure vessel. Challenges arise for the mechanical design from the tight constraints on the bore hole diameter (which will be 2 inches smaller than for IceCube Upgrade) and from the close packing of the PMTs. The electronics design must meet the space constraints posed by the mechanical design as well as the power consumption and cost considerations from over 10,000 optical modules being deployed. This contribution presents forward-looking solutions to these design considerations. Prototype modules will be installed and integrated in the IceCube Upgrade., For complete list of authors see https://doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1062

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are among the most powerful events observed in our universe and have long been considered as possible sources of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, which makes them promising neutrino source candidates. Previous IceCube searches for neutrino correlations with GRBs focused on the prompt (main emission) phase of the GRB and found no significant correlation between neutrino events and the observed GRBs. This motivates us to extend our search beyond the prompt phase. We perform analyses looking for evidence of neutrino emission up to 14 days before and after the prompt phase of GRBs. These analyses rely on a sample of candidate muon-neutrino events observed by IceCube from May 2011 to October 2018. The analyses are model-independent. Two of them scan different time-windows for possible neutrino emission, while a third analysis targets precursor emission based on GRB precursor observations by Fermi-GBM. We discuss the results and implications of these searches including limits on the contribution of GRBs to the diffuse neutrino flux., For complete list of authors see https://doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1118

The IceCube DeepCore is a dense infill array of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole. While IceCube is best suited for detecting neutrinos with energies of several 100 GeV and above, DeepCore allows to probe neutrinos with lower energies. We focus on a sample of neutrinos with energies above approximately 10 GeV, which was originally optimised for oscillation experiments. Recently, it has been adapted to enable searches for transient sources of astrophysical neutrinos in the sky. In particular, this low-energy dataset can be used to conduct follow-up searches of gravitational wave transients detected by the LIGO-Virgo instruments. A study of this, which complements IceCube's follow-up of gravitational wave events using highenergy neutrino samples, will be discussed here., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.0939

Recent studies with IceCube have shown signs of a time-integrated flux of astrophysical neutrinos from point-like sources such as TXS 0506+056 and NGC 1068. Time-variability of this neutrino emission from TXS 0506+056 has been studied extensively by assuming a temporal profile of the possible flare(s) or searching for temporal neutrino correlation with other electromagnetic counterparts. However, experimental evidence of the temporal profile of an astrophysical neutrino signal, besides the TXS 0506+056 source, remains lacking. In this study, we present a new KS-test based method for investigating time-variability. This new method complements the existing time-dependent search methods with a test for arbitrary time-variability, independent of an assumed temporal profile or electromagnetic counterpart. Additionally, this method provides a diagnostic tool for characterizing point-like source candidates in IceCube by distinguishing variable from steady neutrino emission and we show results of applying this method to a small catalog of candidate blazars., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1141

Realtime analyses are necessary to identify the source of high energy neutrinos. As an observatory with a 4 pi steradian field of view and near-100% duty cycle, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a unique facility for investigating transients. In 2016, IceCube established a pipeline that uses low-latency data to rapidly respond to astrophysical events that were of interest to the multi-messenger observational community. Here, we describe this pipeline and summarize the results from all of the analyses performed since 2016. We focus not only on those analyses which were performed in response to transients identified using other messengers such as photons and gravitational waves, but also on how this pipeline can be used to constrain populations of astrophysical neutrino transients by following up high-energy neutrino alerts., For complete list of authors see https://doi.org/10.22323/1.395.0952

Measurements of neutrinos at and below 10 GeV provide unique constraints of neutrino oscillation parameters as well as probes of potential Non-Standard Interactions (NSI). The IceCube Neutrino Observatory's DeepCore array is designed to detect neutrinos down to GeV energies. IceCube has built the world's largest data set of neutrinos >10 GeV, making searches for NSI a computational challenge. This work describes the use of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to improve the energy reconstruction resolution and speed of reconstructing O(10 GeV) neutrino events in IceCube. Compared to current likelihood-based methods which take seconds to minutes, the CNN is expected to provide approximately a factor of 2 improvement in energy resolution while reducing the reconstruction time per event to milliseconds, which is essential for processing large datasets., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1053

The tau lepton's supersymmetric partner, the stau, appears in some models as the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle. Their deacy process into the lightest superpartner is usually suppressed by supersymmetry breaking, which makes it a long-lived particle. In this scenario, its signature is a long, minimally ionizing track when traveling through the IceCube detector. Independent of their primary energy, the stau tracks appear like low-energy muons in the detector. A potential signal of staus would thus be an excess over muon tracks induced by atmospheric muon neutrinos. Our analysis focuses on the region around the horizon as here the ratio between stau signal and atmospheric background is largest. We will present the first sensitivity to constrain the stau mass using IceCube and demonstrate the potential of this analysis with future improvements., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1117

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory has detected high-energy astrophysical neutrinos in the TeV-PeV range. These neutrinos have an isotropic distribution on the sky, and therefore, likely originate from extragalactic sources. Active Galactic Nuclei form a class of astronomical objects which are promising neutrino source candidates given their high electromagnetic luminosity and potential ability to accelerate cosmic rays up to energies greater than 10(16) eV. Interactions of these cosmic rays within the AGN environment are expected to produce both neutrinos and pionic gamma rays. Some hadronic models of AGN emission suggest that such gamma rays can in turn interact with the dense photon fields of AGN and cascade down to hard X-rays and MeV gamma rays. We present an update on the IceCube stacking analysis searching for high-energy neutrinos from hard X-ray sources sampled from the Swift-BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1142

New optical sensors called the "D-Egg" have been developed for cost-effective instrumentation for the IceCube Upgrade. With two 8-inch high quantum efficient photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), they offer increased effective photocathode area while retaining as much of the successful IceCube Digital Optical Module design as possible. Mass production of D-Eggs has started in 2020. By the end of 2021, there will be 310 D-Eggs produced with 288 deployed in the IceCube Upgrade. The D-Egg readout system uses advanced technologies in electronics and computing power. Each of the two PMT signals is digitised using ultra-low-power 14-bit ADCs with a sampling frequency of 240 MSPS, enabling seamless and lossless event recording from single-photon signals to signals exceeding 200 PE within 10 ns, as well as flexible event triggering. In this paper, we report the single photon detection performance as well as the multiple photon recording capability of D-Eggs from the mass production line which have been evaluated with the built-in data acquisition system., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1042

Recent results from IceCube regarding TXS 0506+056 suggest the presence of neutrino flares that are not temporally coincident with a significant corresponding gamma ray flare. Such flares are particularly difficult to identify, as their presence must be inferred from the temporal distribution of neutrino data alone. Here we present the results of using a novel method to search for all such flares across the entire neutrino sky in 10 years of IceCube data, using both Gaussian and box-shaped flare hypotheses. Unlike for past searches, that looked for only the most significant neutrino flare in the data at a given direction, here we implement an algorithm to combine information from multiple flares associated with a single source candidate. This represents the most detailed description of the neutrino sky to date, providing the location and intensity of all neutrino cluster candidates in both space and time. These results can be used to further constrain potential populations of transient neutrino sources, serving as a complement to existing time-integrated and time-dependent methods., For complete list of authors see https://doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1128

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic kilometer-sized detector designed to detect neutrinos of astrophysical origin. However, muons created by cosmic rays interacting in the atmosphere pose a significant background for these astrophysical neutrinos particularly in the southern equatorial sky. Identifying neutrino events that start in the detector allows us to reduce the atmospheric muon component while retaining a high rate of starting neutrino events. The method presented today also rejects atmospheric neutrinos if they are accompanied by muons from the same cosmic ray shower, lowering the 50% purity threshold for astrophysical-to-atmospheric neutrinos from 100 TeV to 10 TeV at declinations less than -25 degrees. We use 10%(burn sample) of 9.5 years IceCube data to demonstrate the status of this dataset. We outline a planned measurement of the diffuse neutrino flux inclusive of theoretical and detector systematic uncertainties. In addition, we discuss searches for neutrino point sources and diffuse galactic plane neutrino emission in the Southern sky and plans to release high astrophysical-purity real-time alerts to the multi-messenger community., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1130

The IceCube Upgrade is an extension of the IceCube detector at the geographic South Pole. It consists of seven new strings with novel instrumentation. More than 430 multi-PMT optical modules called "mDOMs", housing 24 3-inch PMTs each, will be produced for the Upgrade. This will require testing and pre-calibration on a short timescale of more than 10,000 PMTs prior to assembly and deployment. We present the design of a PMT testing facility that enables simultaneous testing of roughly 100 PMTs per day at temperatures down to -20 degrees C. The design is implemented at RWTH Aachen University and TU Dortmund University in parallel to achieve a throughput of up to 1,000 PMTs per week. This will enable a steady supply of tested PMTs to the production sites, which is critical for the Upgrade, as well as the future IceCube-Gen2 project., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1056

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, deployed inside the deep glacial ice at the South Pole, is the largest neutrino telescope in the world. While eight years have passed since IceCube discovered a diffuse flux of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos, the sources of the vast majority of these neutrinos remain unknown. Here, we present a new search for neutrino point sources that improves the accuracy of the statistical analysis, especially in the low energy regime. We replaced the usual Gaussian approximations of IceCube's point spread function with precise numerical representations, obtained from simulations, and combined them with new machine learning-based estimates of event energies and angular errors. Depending on the source properties, the new analysis provides improved source localization, flux characterization and thereby discovery potential (by up to 30%) over previous works. The analysis will be applied to IceCube data that has been recorded with the full 86-string detector configuration from 2011 to 2020 and includes improved detector calibration., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1138

Clusters of galaxies - with their turbulent magnetic fields and abundant matter content - are a promising class of potential neutrino sources. Cosmic rays accelerated within the large-scale shocks, Active GalacticNuclei (AGN), or both can be confined in galaxy clusters over cosmological timescales and produce a steady flux of neutrinos in secondary interactions. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory has detected a diffuse flux of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. After ten years of operations, however, the origin of this flux remains largely unconstrained. In this work, we perform a stacked search for neutrinos, using a population of over one thousand galaxy clusters detected by the Planck Satellite via the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect up to a redshift z = 1. We present the first results on the contribution of galaxy clusters to the diffuse neutrino flux and discuss the implications for various models of cosmic-ray acceleration in large-scale structures., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1133

IceCube is a cubic kilometer neutrino detector array in the Antarctic ice that was designed to search for astrophysical, high-energy neutrinos. It has detected a diffuse flux of astrophysical neutrinos that appears to be of extragalactic origin. A possible contribution to this diffuse flux could stem from core-collapse supernovae. The high-energy neutrinos could either come from the interaction of the ejecta with a dense circumstellar medium or a jet, emanating from the star's core, that stalls in the star's envelope. Here, we will present results of a stacking analysis to search for this high-energy neutrino emission from core-collapse supernovae using 7 years of nu(mu) track events from IceCube., For complete list of authors see https://doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1116

Magnetars are neutron stars with very strong magnetic fields on the order of 1013 to 1015 G. Young magnetars with oppositely-oriented magnetic fields and spin moments may emit high-energy (HE) neutrinos from their polar caps as they may be able to accelerate cosmic rays to above the photomeson threshold [1]. Giant flares of soft gamma-ray repeaters (a subclass of magnetars) may also produce HE neutrinos and therefore a HE neutrino flux from this class is potentially detectable [2]. Here we present plans to search for neutrino emission from magnetars listed in the McGill Online Magnetar Catalog using 10 years of well-reconstructed IceCube muon-neutrino events looking for significant clustering around magnetars' direction. IceCube is a cubic kilometer neutrino observatory at the South Pole and has been fully operational for the past ten years., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1135

IceCube is a cubic-kilometer scale neutrino telescope located at the geographic South Pole. The detector utilizes the extremely transparent Antarctic ice as a medium for detecting Cherenkov radiation from neutrino interactions. While the optical properties of the glacial ice are generally well modeled and understood, the uncertainties which remain are still the dominant source of systematic uncertainties for many IceCube analyses. A camera and LED system is being built for the IceCube Upgrade that will enable the observation of optical properties throughout the Upgrade array. The SPICEcore hole, a 1.7 km deep ice-core hole located near the IceCube detector, has given the opportunity to test the performance of the camera system ahead of the Upgrade construction. In this contribution, we present the results of the camera and LED system deployment during the 2019/2020 austral summer season as part of a SPICEcore luminescence logger system., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1047

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory instruments about 1 km(3) of deep, glacial ice at the geographic South Pole using 5160 photomultipliers to detect Cherenkov light of charged relativistic particles. Most of IceCube's science goals rely heavily on an ever more precise understanding of the optical properties of the instrumented ice. A curious light propagation effect observed by the experiment is an anisotropic attenuation, which is aligned with the local flow of the ice. Having recently identified curved photon trajectories resulting from asymmetric light diffusion in the birefringent polycrystalline microstructure of the ice as the most likely underlying cause of this effect, work is now ongoing to optimize the model parameters (effectively deducing the average crystal size and shape in the detector). We present the parametrization of the birefringence effect in our photon propagation simulation, the fitting procedures and results as well as the impact of the new ice model on data-MC agreement., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1119

Combining observational data from multiple instruments for multi-messenger astronomy can be challenging due to the complexity of the instrument response functions and likelihood calculation. We introduce a python-based unbinned-likelihood analysis package called i3mla (IceCube Maximum Likelihood Analysis). i3mla is designed to be compatible with the Multi-Mission Maximum Likelihood (3ML) framework, which enables multi-messenger astronomy analyses by combining the likelihood across different instruments. By making it possible to use IceCube data in the 3ML framework, we aim to facilitate the use of neutrino data in multi-messenger astronomy. In this work we illustrate how to use the i3mla package with 3ML and present preliminary sensitivities using the i3mla package and 3ML through a joint-fit with HAWC Public dataset., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1098

The IceCubeNeutrino Observatory, located at the geographic South Pole, is theworld's largest neutrino telescope, instrumenting 1 km(3) of Antarctic ice with 5160 photosensors to detect Cherenkov light. For the IceCube Upgrade, to be deployed during the 2022-23 polar field season, and the enlarged detector IceCube-Gen2 several new optical sensor designs are under development. One of these optical sensors, the Wavelength-shifting Optical Module (WOM), uses wavelength-shifting and light-guiding techniques to measure Cherenkov photons in the UV range from 250 nm to 380 nm. In order to understand the potential gains from this new technology, a measurement of the scattering and absorption lengths of UV light was performed in the SPICEcore borehole at the South Pole during the winter seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020. For this purpose, a calibration device with a UV light source and a detector using the wavelength shifting technology was developed. We present the design of the developed calibration device, its performance during the measurement campaigns, and the comparison of data to a Monte Carlo simulation., For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.22323/1.395.1057

Blazars are among the most powerful steady sources in the Universe. Multi-messenger searches for blazars have traditionally focused on their gamma-ray emission, which can be produced simultaneously with neutrinos in photohadronic interactions. However, X-ray data can be equally vital to constrain the SED of these sources, since the hadronically co-produced gamma-rays could get absorbed by the ambient photon fields and cascade down to X-ray energies before escaping. In this work, we present the outline for an untriggered, time-dependent analysis of neutrino flares from the direction of X-ray selected blazars using 10 years of IceCube data. A binomial test will be performed on the population to reveal if a subcategory of sources has statistically significant emission. The sources are selected from RomaBZCat, and the p-values and best-fit flare parameters are obtained for each source using the method of unbinned likelihood maximisation.

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole has measured the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux up to similar to PeV energies and is starting to identify first point source candidates. The next generation facility, IceCube-Gen2, aims at extending the accessible energy range to EeV in order to measure the continuation of the astrophysical spectrum, to identify neutrino sources, and to search for a cosmogenic neutrino flux. As part of IceCube-Gen2, a radio array is foreseen that is sensitive to detect Askaryan emission of neutrinos beyond similar to 30 PeV. Surface and deep antenna stations have different benefits in terms of effective area, resolution, and the capability to reject backgrounds from cosmic-ray air showers and may be combined to reach the best sensitivity. The optimal detector configuration is still to be identified. This contribution presents the full-array simulation efforts for a combination of deep and surface antennas, and compares different design options with respect to their sensitivity to fulfill the science goals of IceCube-Gen2.