Status of the Radio Ice Cherenkov Experiment (RICE)

• Published in: New astronomy reviews Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 319 - 329
• Main Authors: Allen, C., Bean, A., Besson, D., Frichter, G., Juett, A., Karle, A., Kotov, S., Kravchenko, I., McKay, D., Miller, T.C., Piccirillo, L., Ralston, J., Seckel, D., Seunarine, S., Spiczak, G.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-09-1998
• ISSN: 1387-6473; 1872-9630
• DOI: 10.1016/S1387-6473(98)00017-7

The Radio Ice Cherenkov Experiment (RICE) is designed to detect ultrahigh energy (≥100 TeV) neutrinos from astrophysical sources. RICE will consist of an array of compact radio (100 to 1000 MHz) receivers buried in ice at the South Pole. The objective is an array of greater than one cubic kilometer effective volume, complementary to TeV optical neutrino telescopes. The effective volume using the radio technique increases faster with energy than the optical technique, making the method more efficient at PeV energies. During the 1995–96 and 1996–97 austral summers, a pilot experiment consisting of several receivers and transmitters was deployed in bore holes drilled for the AMANDA project, at depths of 141 to 260 m. This was the first in situ test of radio receivers in deep ice for neutrino astronomy.