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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
08:46
Determining the Ice-binding Planes of Antifreeze Proteins by Fluorescence-based Ice Plane Affinity
Published on: January 15, 2014
Observations of the Askaryan effect in ice
P W Gorham1, S W Barwick, J J Beatty
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Hawaii 96822, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|November 13, 2007
Summary
Scientists observed radio Cherenkov radiation from particle showers in ice, confirming the Askaryan effect. This study measured the radiation pattern, crucial for detecting high-energy neutrinos with experiments like ANITA.
Area of Science:
- Particle Physics
- Radio Astronomy
- Cosmic Ray Physics
Background:
- The Askaryan effect predicts coherent radio Cherenkov radiation from particle cascades in dense media.
- Detecting ultra-high-energy neutrinos requires understanding radio emission from particle showers.
- The ANITA (Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna) experiment aims to detect these neutrinos.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally observe and characterize radio Cherenkov radiation from electromagnetic showers in solid ice.
- To validate the Askaryan effect in an ice medium.
- To measure the angular dependence of the radiation pattern for improved neutrino detector design.
Main Methods:
- An experiment was conducted at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center using a 7.5 metric ton ice target.
- Coherent, impulsive radio Cherenkov radiation was detected from electromagnetic showers within the ice.
- The large-scale angular distribution of the emitted radiation was measured.
Main Results:
- The first observation of the Askaryan effect in solid ice was achieved.
- The large-scale angular dependence of the radio Cherenkov radiation pattern was measured for the first time.
- These measurements provide critical data for understanding radio emission processes.
Conclusions:
- The experimental results confirm the theoretical predictions of the Askaryan effect in ice.
- The measured radiation pattern is essential for calculating the acceptance of neutrino detectors.
- This work validates aspects of the ANITA experiment's detection strategy.
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