Research Questions

Research questions that IceCube-Gen2 will address range from the nature of the most extreme objects in our universe to fundamental questions of elementary particle physics.

Neutrino astronomy

What do neutrinos tell us about the extreme universe? IceCube-Gen2 will observe the high-energy neutrino sky at previously unattainable energy ranges. It will uncover the sources and distribution of the most energetic particles in the universe. The expanded detector will allow scientists to detect ten times as many cosmic neutrinos as IceCube does today.

Multimessenger observations

What can we learn from the combination of different cosmic messengers? In the future, IceCube-Gen2 will identify neutrino sources much more frequently and much more precisely. This will allow scientists to truly exploit the great potential of multimessenger astronomy, the coordinated observation of light, neutrinos, cosmic rays, and gravitational waves.

Cosmic rays

What are cosmic rays made of? IceCube-Gen2 uses a surface detector to register particle showers that are triggered by high-energy charged particles in the atmosphere. This direct measurement of cosmic rays can help us to better understand their sources.

Big Bang relics

Was there once a primordial force that united all physical forces? What is the universe made of today? Astroparticle physicists and cosmologists are looking for hypothetical magnetic monopoles and dark-matter particles to find answers to these questions. The sensitivity of the IceCube-Gen2 detector will be sufficiently high to make detections of these mysterious elementary particles feasible. Proof of their existence would be a scientific sensation.

Neutrino physics

What masses do neutrinos have? The observation of neutrino oscillations, the transformation of different neutrino types into one another and back, can provide new insights. IceCube-Gen2 will measure neutrino oscillations even at the highest energies and over cosmic distances. Such measurements will allow scientists to investigate fundamental questions of particle physics that cannot be studied with particle accelerators on Earth.

Glaciology

What are the properties of glacial ice? To accurately analyze IceCube data, it is crucial to understand the properties of the South Polar ice and the effect these properties have on propagated light signals. This knowledge will become even more important in the future, considering the huge volume of ice used for the IceCube-Gen2 detector. The optical properties of the ice and the dust contained in it also tell us about our Earth’s climate history.