The Astroparticle groups in Uppsala and Stockholm collaborate closely in various aspects of the AMANDA and IceCube projects.
   Stockholm University and Uppsala University were, together with three USA universities (UCB, UCI and Wisconsin), involved in the AMANDA project from the very start in 1994.
  Sweden has in total contributed with about 13 MSEK for equipment, which corresponds to about 20% of the total IceCube investment. The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat has supported drilling technicians during the drilling periods.

AMANDA hardware: The Swedish groups designed the electronics for the first optical modules, and built and tested 20% of AMANDA-A optical modules and 50% of AMANDA-B4 optical modules (all production of OM-modules were in the following years centralized to PSL at Madison, Wisconsin).
   Uppsala university has designed and built the trigger system (MADD and DMADD) used for AMANDA-A, AMANDA-B and AMANDA-II. The amplifier system for the photomultiplier signal at the surface (SWAMPs)
  Fig 1: A. Pohl (left) and C. de los Heros (right) with
a SWAMP, removed for upgrade.
was designed and built by Stockholm university. The electrical cables used for strings 5-19 were developed and produced by Ericsson Cable together with the Swedish physicists.

Data analysis: The Swedish groups have taken a very active part in the ice analysis and the filtering and the reconstruction of the first neutrino candidates in AMANDA-B4. The Swedish groups have also contributed an entire simulation package, reconstruction program and calibration program for the detector.
   In addition, we have been responsible for the searches for weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter candidates. At the moment the Swedish groups are involved in the searches for galactic and extragalactic point sources of neutrinos, searches for signals of WIMPs and Kaluza-Klen particles accumulated in the Sun or the Earth, searches for extreme high-energy neutrinos, and several basic detector quality investigations.

  Sweden contributes with 950 digital optical modules, which are assembled in Stockholm and tested for long-term stability in a freezer lab in Uppsala. At present (2007) about 300 DOMs have been completed and shipped to the South Pole where they have been deployed in the ice. All electrical cables for IceCube have been developed and produced by Ericsson Cable in collaboration with Swedish physicists. Sweden participates actively in verification of IceCube data, development simulation tools and production of simulation data.
  Fig 3: L. Gustafsson inside the freezer lab
  Sweden also works on the development of an acoustic detector system for a potential extension of IceCube.


-back to top-


8386 visits since 1 feb 2007
Author: C. de los Heros