[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":575},["ShallowReactive",2],{"navigation":3,"blog-\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-physics-2026-icecube":96,"blog-surround-\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-physics-2026-icecube":570},[4,51],{"title":5,"path":6,"stem":7,"children":8,"page":50},"En","\u002Fen","en",[9],{"title":10,"path":11,"stem":12,"children":13,"page":50},"Blog","\u002Fen\u002Fblog","en\u002Fblog",[14,18,22,26,30,34,38,42,46],{"title":15,"path":16,"stem":17},"GitHub Copilot Not Working in Markdown Files","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fcopilot-markdown","en\u002Fblog\u002Fcopilot-markdown",{"title":19,"path":20,"stem":21},"Hackintosh Installation Guide","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fhackintosh","en\u002Fblog\u002Fhackintosh",{"title":23,"path":24,"stem":25},"The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: How Can Chemistry Choose a Mirror Image?","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-chemistry-2026-chirality","en\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-chemistry-2026-chirality",{"title":27,"path":28,"stem":29},"The 2026 Nobel Prize in Economics: Understanding the Complex Machine of the Modern Economy","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-economics-2026-hall-woodford","en\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-economics-2026-hall-woodford",{"title":31,"path":32,"stem":33},"The 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature: How Anne Carson Makes Ancient Stories Hurt Again","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-literature-2026-anne-carson","en\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-literature-2026-anne-carson",{"title":35,"path":36,"stem":37},"The 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine: Why Controlling Neurons with Light Matters","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-medicine-2026-optogenetics","en\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-medicine-2026-optogenetics",{"title":39,"path":40,"stem":41},"The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics: Why Bury a Telescope in Antarctic Ice?","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-physics-2026-icecube","en\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-physics-2026-icecube",{"title":43,"path":44,"stem":45},"ShellCrash Installation Guide","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fshellcrash","en\u002Fblog\u002Fshellcrash",{"title":47,"path":48,"stem":49},"WeChat IPv6 Upload Problem","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fwechat-ipv6-upload-problem","en\u002Fblog\u002Fwechat-ipv6-upload-problem",false,{"title":52,"path":53,"stem":54,"children":55,"page":50},"Zh","\u002Fzh","zh",[56],{"title":10,"path":57,"stem":58,"children":59,"page":50},"\u002Fzh\u002Fblog","zh\u002Fblog",[60,64,68,72,76,80,84,88,92],{"title":61,"path":62,"stem":63},"GitHub Copilot 在 Markdown 文件中不生效的解决办法","\u002Fzh\u002Fblog\u002Fcopilot-markdown","zh\u002Fblog\u002Fcopilot-markdown",{"title":65,"path":66,"stem":67},"黑苹果 Hackintosh 安装极简指南","\u002Fzh\u002Fblog\u002Fhackintosh","zh\u002Fblog\u002Fhackintosh",{"title":69,"path":70,"stem":71},"2026 诺贝尔化学奖：化学怎样从镜像中选择一边？","\u002Fzh\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-chemistry-2026-chirality","zh\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-chemistry-2026-chirality",{"title":73,"path":74,"stem":75},"2026 诺贝尔经济学奖：理解现代经济这台复杂机器","\u002Fzh\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-economics-2026-hall-woodford","zh\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-economics-2026-hall-woodford",{"title":77,"path":78,"stem":79},"2026 诺贝尔文学奖：安妮·卡森怎样让古老的故事重新疼痛？","\u002Fzh\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-literature-2026-anne-carson","zh\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-literature-2026-anne-carson",{"title":81,"path":82,"stem":83},"2026 诺贝尔医学奖：用光控制神经细胞，为什么如此重要？","\u002Fzh\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-medicine-2026-optogenetics","zh\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-medicine-2026-optogenetics",{"title":85,"path":86,"stem":87},"2026 诺贝尔物理学奖：为什么把望远镜埋进南极的冰里？","\u002Fzh\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-physics-2026-icecube","zh\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-physics-2026-icecube",{"title":89,"path":90,"stem":91},"ShellCrash 安装与配置超详细指南","\u002Fzh\u002Fblog\u002Fshellcrash","zh\u002Fblog\u002Fshellcrash",{"title":93,"path":94,"stem":95},"解决微信在 IPv6 局域网下上传文件极慢的问题","\u002Fzh\u002Fblog\u002Fwechat-ipv6-upload-problem","zh\u002Fblog\u002Fwechat-ipv6-upload-problem",{"id":97,"title":39,"author":98,"body":102,"date":562,"description":563,"extension":564,"image":241,"meta":565,"minRead":566,"navigation":567,"path":40,"seo":568,"stem":41,"__hash__":569},"blog\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fnobel-physics-2026-icecube.md",{"name":99,"avatar":100},"mou7s",{"src":101,"alt":99},"https:\u002F\u002Favatars.githubusercontent.com\u002Fu\u002F79881792?v=4",{"type":103,"value":104,"toc":536},"minimark",[105,109,117,131,134,139,142,145,153,156,159,163,166,169,172,175,179,182,190,193,198,214,217,220,232,235,242,259,263,274,281,284,287,293,309,313,316,320,323,326,330,341,344,348,351,354,358,361,364,367,370,374,377,380,388,391,395,398,405,408,412,416,424,427,431,443,446,453,457,460,463,466,469,473,476,479,482,487,491],[106,107,108],"p",{},"Picture a telescope: a dome on a mountain, a large mirror, and an instrument pointing upward. Most of IceCube’s detection equipment sits deep below the Antarctic surface. It uses natural ice to search for particles arriving from distant space.",[106,110,111,112,116],{},"It was built to receive a different cosmic messenger: ",[113,114,115],"strong",{},"the neutrino",".",[106,118,119,120,123,124],{},"The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes ",[113,121,122],{},"Francis Halzen"," for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin. ",[125,126,130],"a",{"href":127,"rel":128},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.kva.se\u002Fen\u002Fnews\u002Fthe-nobel-prize-in-physics-2026\u002F",[129],"nofollow","Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announcement",[106,132,133],{},"The question to follow is simple: how can a particle that barely leaves a trace help us observe the universe?",[135,136,138],"h2",{"id":137},"why-look-for-neutrinos-when-we-already-have-light","Why look for neutrinos when we already have light?",[106,140,141],{},"Telescopes gather electromagnetic signals, including wavelengths our eyes cannot see. But light can be absorbed, scattered or interact during its journey. Each wavelength has its own strengths and limitations.",[106,143,144],{},"Charged particles provide other signals. Cosmic-ray protons carry extraordinary energy, but magnetic fields can bend their paths, making their arrival directions difficult to trace back to their origins.",[106,146,147,148],{},"Neutrinos offer another route. They have no electric charge, so magnetic fields do not bend their paths as they do charged particles. Their rare interactions with matter also let them escape many regions that obstruct other signals. ",[125,149,152],{"href":150,"rel":151},"https:\u002F\u002Ficecube.wisc.edu\u002Foutreach\u002Fneutrinos\u002F",[129],"IceCube’s neutrino introduction",[106,154,155],{},"Researchers want to understand which cosmic environments produce extremely energetic particles. Associated high-energy neutrinos can supply clues about these natural particle accelerators.",[106,157,158],{},"“High energy” refers to energy carried by a particle, not a large physical size or a speed exceeding light in vacuum.",[135,160,162],{"id":161},"why-are-they-so-difficult-to-detect","Why are they so difficult to detect?",[106,164,165],{},"Passing through matter is an advantage during the journey and a difficulty at the destination. A detector needs an interaction that leaves a measurable signal. Most neutrinos pass through without one.",[106,167,168],{},"“Catching” a neutrino therefore means recording an event it causes, rather than storing it in a container.",[106,170,171],{},"A straightforward response is to provide more target material. If interactions are rare in a small detector, a larger volume gives more opportunities.",[106,173,174],{},"Think of collecting sparse rain: a small cup may receive very little, while a larger collection area has more chances. The analogy explains scale only. Ice does not stop every neutrino passing through it.",[135,176,178],{"id":177},"why-antarctic-ice","Why Antarctic ice?",[106,180,181],{},"The detector needs abundant, transparent, stable material. The material provides interaction targets, and light from an interaction must be able to reach the sensors.",[106,183,184,185],{},"Deep Antarctic ice supplies a vast natural volume with suitable optical properties. The South Pole research station provides infrastructure for construction and operation. Water can also serve in this kind of detector; ice is not the only option. ",[125,186,189],{"href":187,"rel":188},"https:\u002F\u002Ficecube.wisc.edu\u002Fabout-us\u002Ffaq\u002F",[129],"IceCube FAQ",[106,191,192],{},"Depth reduces some surface-related backgrounds, but does not eliminate every unwanted signal.",[194,195,197],"h3",{"id":196},"where-in-antarctica-is-it","Where in Antarctica is it?",[106,199,200,201,204,205,208,209],{},"IceCube sits ",[113,202,203],{},"in the Antarctic interior, near the geographic South Pole",", close to the ",[113,206,207],{},"Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station",". Here, “South Pole” means the southern end of Earth's rotation axis, at approximately 90° south, rather than the Antarctic coast in general. ",[125,210,213],{"href":211,"rel":212},"https:\u002F\u002Ficecube.wisc.edu\u002Fscience\u002Ficecube\u002F",[129],"Official location information",[106,215,216],{},"This map looks down over Antarctica and marks the vicinity of IceCube and the station near the South Pole.",[218,219],"ice-cube-location",{},[106,221,222],{},[223,224,225,226,231],"em",{},"The marker indicates the vicinity, not precise facility boundaries. Coastline data: ",[125,227,230],{"href":228,"rel":229},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.naturalearthdata.com\u002Fabout\u002Fterms-of-use\u002F",[129],"Natural Earth",", public domain.",[106,233,234],{},"The map shows the geographical setting; the next photograph shows the surface setting. The main particle-detection array is deep beneath that scene.",[106,236,237],{},[238,239],"img",{"alt":240,"src":241},"The IceCube Laboratory and the Antarctic sky before dawn","\u002Fblog\u002Ficecube-dawn.jpg",[106,243,244],{},[223,245,246,247,252,253,258],{},"The surface laboratory sits above the buried detector. The aurora and Milky Way are not neutrino signals recorded by IceCube. Photo: ",[125,248,251],{"href":249,"rel":250},"https:\u002F\u002Fcommons.wikimedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FFile:The_ICL_at_Dawn.jpg",[129],"John Hardin \u002F Wikimedia Commons",", ",[125,254,257],{"href":255,"rel":256},"https:\u002F\u002Fcreativecommons.org\u002Flicenses\u002Fby\u002F4.0\u002F",[129],"CC BY 4.0",", unmodified. The cover uses the same photograph.",[135,260,262],{"id":261},"how-was-the-equipment-installed","How was the equipment installed?",[106,264,265,266,269,270,273],{},"The original in-ice array comprises ",[113,267,268],{},"5,160 optical modules on 86 strings",", mostly between ",[113,271,272],{},"1,450 and 2,450 metres"," below the surface, across roughly a cubic kilometre.",[106,275,276,277],{},"Construction teams melted deep holes using hot water and lowered cables carrying sensors into them. Refreezing fixed the modules in place; cables link them to surface systems. ",[125,278,280],{"href":211,"rel":279},[129],"Detector and construction information",[106,282,283],{},"This is not a hollow room excavated beneath the ice. The ice itself provides the detection material, and distributed sensors collect light.",[106,285,286],{},"The sensors are called digital optical modules, or DOMs. A photomultiplier converts and amplifies faint light into electrical signals, which electronics record and transmit.",[106,288,289],{},[238,290],{"alt":291,"src":292},"An IceCube digital optical module","\u002Fblog\u002Ficecube-dom.jpg",[106,294,295],{},[223,296,297,298,252,303,308],{},"A photograph of the type of equipment placed in the ice. It detects light rather than taking a direct picture of a neutrino. Photo: ",[125,299,302],{"href":300,"rel":301},"https:\u002F\u002Fcommons.wikimedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FFile:Neutriino_detektor.jpg",[129],"Taavi Adamberg \u002F Wikimedia Commons",[125,304,307],{"href":305,"rel":306},"https:\u002F\u002Fcreativecommons.org\u002Flicenses\u002Fby-sa\u002F3.0\u002F",[129],"CC BY-SA 3.0",", unmodified.",[135,310,312],{"id":311},"where-does-the-light-come-from","Where does the light come from?",[106,314,315],{},"Keep three things separate: the neutrino, the charged particles produced by its interaction, and the light those particles emit.",[194,317,319],{"id":318},"an-occasional-interaction","An occasional interaction",[106,321,322],{},"Most neutrinos cross the ice without a detectable interaction. Occasionally, one interacts with matter, such as an atomic nucleus, and produces other particles.",[106,324,325],{},"One important case is a muon neutrino interaction producing a muon: a charged particle that can leave a long track through the ice.",[194,327,329],{"id":328},"charged-particles-emit-light","Charged particles emit light",[106,331,332,333,336,337],{},"A sufficiently fast charged particle can emit ",[113,334,335],{},"Cherenkov light"," when it moves faster than light propagates through the ice. That is the optical signal IceCube measures. ",[125,338,340],{"href":211,"rel":339},[129],"Detection principle",[106,342,343],{},"The neutrino is not glowing throughout its journey, and the ice is not simply heating up like a lamp. The radiation comes from charged particles moving through a medium.",[194,345,347],{"id":346},"sensors-record-the-aftermath","Sensors record the aftermath",[106,349,350],{},"Some light reaches nearby modules. Computers combine their records and use the pattern to estimate properties of the original neutrino.",[106,352,353],{},"The measurement is indirect: it reconstructs an initiating particle from the consequences of its interaction.",[135,355,357],{"id":356},"does-faster-than-light-violate-relativity","Does “faster than light” violate relativity?",[106,359,360],{},"The important distinction is between light in vacuum and light in a material.",[106,362,363],{},"Light in vacuum travels at about 300,000 kilometres per second. Light propagates more slowly in ice. A particle can exceed the latter speed while remaining below the former.",[106,365,366],{},"For an illustrative comparison, suppose light in a medium travels at roughly 220,000 kilometres per second and a particle travels at 270,000. The particle exceeds the medium’s light speed without exceeding the vacuum limit. These numbers explain the relationship; they are not a measurement of an IceCube event.",[106,368,369],{},"An aircraft’s sonic boom offers an analogy for a speed threshold: it appears when the aircraft exceeds the speed of sound in air. Cherenkov radiation has a different physical mechanism, so the comparison should not be taken literally.",[135,371,373],{"id":372},"how-can-flashes-reveal-an-arrival-direction","How can flashes reveal an arrival direction?",[106,375,376],{},"A single sensor gives limited information. Multiple sensors record positions, arrival times and signal strengths.",[106,378,379],{},"Imagine running past motion-sensitive lights along a road. Their positions and activation times reveal something about your direction. IceCube reconstruction is much more complicated because light travels, scatters and encounters ice with varying properties. The useful idea is that records from multiple locations constrain what passed through.",[106,381,382,383],{},"Long muon tracks often offer good directional information. Other events produce more concentrated particle showers and different patterns. Light intensity and distribution also inform energy estimates. Reconstruction has uncertainties; a flash does not deliver a perfectly known trajectory. ",[125,384,387],{"href":385,"rel":386},"https:\u002F\u002Fmasterclass.icecube.wisc.edu\u002Fen\u002Ficecube-and-neutrinos\u002Fdetecting-neutrinos\u002F",[129],"Event patterns explained",[106,389,390],{},"Even a reconstructed direction does not automatically identify a particular astronomical source. Backgrounds, angular uncertainty and other observations matter.",[135,392,394],{"id":393},"how-do-researchers-distinguish-distant-cosmic-signals","How do researchers distinguish distant cosmic signals?",[106,396,397],{},"Cosmic rays striking Earth’s atmosphere produce muons and neutrinos that can also leave detector signals. A detected neutrino event is therefore not automatically evidence of a distant source.",[106,399,400,401],{},"Researchers combine direction, energy, interaction location, accompanying activity and event distributions to estimate how much the background can explain. ",[125,402,404],{"href":385,"rel":403},[129],"IceCube event teaching material",[106,406,407],{},"It resembles identifying a distant voice in a noisy room. The real analysis relies on detector models and statistics rather than subjective resemblance.",[135,409,411],{"id":410},"what-has-icecube-achieved","What has IceCube achieved?",[194,413,415],{"id":414},"_2013-an-astrophysical-high-energy-signal","2013: an astrophysical high-energy signal",[106,417,418,419],{},"IceCube reported observations of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos in 2013. Identifying a cosmic signal beyond backgrounds made the method a working source of astronomical information. ",[125,420,423],{"href":421,"rel":422},"https:\u002F\u002Ficecube.wisc.edu\u002Fscience\u002Fresearch\u002F",[129],"Research highlights",[106,425,426],{},"This was not the first discovery of neutrinos. Other experiments had already detected them, including neutrinos from the Sun and a supernova. IceCube’s breakthrough concerned high-energy astrophysical signals.",[194,428,430],{"id":429},"a-2017-event-and-a-2018-report-pursuing-a-likely-source","A 2017 event and a 2018 report: pursuing a likely source",[106,432,433,434,437,438],{},"On 22 September 2017, IceCube detected a high-energy neutrino candidate and alerted other observatories. Follow-up observations linked the evidence to ",[113,435,436],{},"TXS 0506+056",", a blazar. The findings were reported in 2018. ",[125,439,442],{"href":440,"rel":441},"https:\u002F\u002Ficecube.wisc.edu\u002Fnews\u002Fpress-releases\u002F2018\u002F07\u002Ficecube-neutrinos-point-to-long-sought-cosmic-ray-accelerator\u002F",[129],"Joint-observation announcement",[106,444,445],{},"A blazar is an active galaxy with a jet directed approximately toward us. The association involved more than a similar sky direction; astronomical activity and archival neutrino data also contributed.",[106,447,448,449,452],{},"This illustrates ",[113,450,451],{},"multimessenger astronomy",": combining different signals to investigate the same cosmic phenomenon. It provides source evidence without implying that every neutrino can be assigned to a unique object.",[135,454,456],{"id":455},"why-does-the-work-matter-enough-for-a-nobel-prize","Why does the work matter enough for a Nobel Prize?",[106,458,459],{},"I understand IceCube’s significance as turning a proposed way to observe the high-energy universe into a method that could be built, measured and tested.",[106,461,462],{},"That required connecting many stages: determining scale, selecting material, installing equipment in deep ice, recording faint signals and separating useful information from backgrounds. An idea becomes an observational capability only when these stages work together.",[106,464,465],{},"The award recognizes Halzen’s decisive contributions. IceCube is also an international collaboration, whose construction and results depend on scientists, engineers and technical teams. A personal award cannot reduce the project to one person’s experiment.",[106,467,468],{},"The result is an additional signal with which to study the universe. Different messengers complement one another, giving us more ways to investigate distant processes.",[135,470,472],{"id":471},"a-thought-about-the-award","A thought about the award",[106,474,475],{},"In the optogenetics article, light was a tool for changing cell activity. Here, light in ice is evidence from a particle interaction. Both examples make a scientific achievement easier to understand when we ask what it allows us to learn.",[106,477,478],{},"IceCube makes productive use of a difficulty. Rare interactions help neutrinos carry information over long distances; those same rare interactions require an enormous detector.",[106,480,481],{},"The image that stays with me is quiet ice beneath the South Pole. Most particles leave nothing measurable. A small number of faint optical signals can nevertheless become clues about the distant universe.",[106,483,484],{},[223,485,486],{},"Sources checked on 7 October 2026. Rain cups, motion-sensitive lights and sonic booms are explanatory analogies, not physical models of the detector.",[135,488,490],{"id":489},"sources-and-further-reading","Sources and further reading",[492,493,494,501,507,513,518,524,530],"ul",{},[495,496,497],"li",{},[125,498,500],{"href":127,"rel":499},[129],"Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences: the 2026 Physics Prize",[495,502,503],{},[125,504,506],{"href":150,"rel":505},[129],"IceCube: neutrinos and astronomy",[495,508,509],{},[125,510,512],{"href":211,"rel":511},[129],"IceCube: detector and construction",[495,514,515],{},[125,516,189],{"href":187,"rel":517},[129],[495,519,520],{},[125,521,523],{"href":385,"rel":522},[129],"IceCube Masterclass: events and backgrounds",[495,525,526],{},[125,527,529],{"href":421,"rel":528},[129],"IceCube research highlights",[495,531,532],{},[125,533,535],{"href":440,"rel":534},[129],"IceCube: the 2018 TXS 0506+056 report",{"title":537,"searchDepth":538,"depth":538,"links":539},"",2,[540,541,542,546,547,552,553,554,555,559,560,561],{"id":137,"depth":538,"text":138},{"id":161,"depth":538,"text":162},{"id":177,"depth":538,"text":178,"children":543},[544],{"id":196,"depth":545,"text":197},3,{"id":261,"depth":538,"text":262},{"id":311,"depth":538,"text":312,"children":548},[549,550,551],{"id":318,"depth":545,"text":319},{"id":328,"depth":545,"text":329},{"id":346,"depth":545,"text":347},{"id":356,"depth":538,"text":357},{"id":372,"depth":538,"text":373},{"id":393,"depth":538,"text":394},{"id":410,"depth":538,"text":411,"children":556},[557,558],{"id":414,"depth":545,"text":415},{"id":429,"depth":545,"text":430},{"id":455,"depth":538,"text":456},{"id":471,"depth":538,"text":472},{"id":489,"depth":538,"text":490},"2026-10-07","Why neutrinos are difficult to detect, how light in ice reveals their interactions, and what IceCube has achieved as a new way to observe the universe.","md",{},9,true,{"title":39,"description":563},"Alvrkqjo6qlCKHlZ3UtOmDt3NA2KS5YMM6vdfQA71_s",[571,573],{"title":35,"path":36,"stem":37,"description":572,"children":-1},"How optogenetics works, what a causal experiment can tell us, what researchers have achieved, and why a research tool can deserve a Nobel Prize.",{"title":43,"path":44,"stem":45,"description":574,"children":-1},"A step-by-step guide to installing and using ShellCrash for managing mihomo\u002Fsing-box cores on low-end routers or devices accessible via SSH.",1791890996006]