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In the context of modern scientific research, consider the following statements about IceCube', a particle detector located at South Pole, which was recently in the news : 1. It is the world's largest neutrino detector, encompassing a cubic kilometre of ice. 2. It is a powerful telescope to search for dark matter. 3. It is buried deep in the ice. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
All three statements about IceCube are correct.
IceCube is the world's largest neutrino detector[2], and it is a cubic-kilometer particle detector made of Antarctic ice located near the Amundsen-Scott South Pole[4]. This confirms statements 1 and 2 about its size and status.
DeepCore, a specialized array within IceCube, is used to facilitate searches for dark matter[5], validating statement 2 about its capability as a telescope for dark matter research.
The detector is buried to a depth of about 2.5 km in the Antarctic ice[6], and it extends from a depth of 1.45 km to 2.45 km[7], confirming statement 3 about it being buried deep in the ice.
Therefore, all three statements are accurate, making option D the correct answer.
Sources- [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0273117711003231
- [3] https://icecube.wisc.edu/science/icecube/
- [4] https://gcn.nasa.gov/missions/icecube
- [5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0273117711003231
- [6] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168900213014654
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a classic 'Big Science' current affairs question. It rewards tracking major global scientific milestones (like CERN, LIGO, IceCube) rather than textbook reading. If a facility breaks a record ('World's Largest') or offers a unique engineering marvel (buried in ice), it becomes high-priority for Prelims.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Does the IceCube particle detector at the South Pole encompass a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice?
- Statement 2: Is the IceCube particle detector at the South Pole the world's largest neutrino detector?
- Statement 3: Is the IceCube particle detector at the South Pole used as a telescope to search for dark matter?
- Statement 4: Is the IceCube particle detector at the South Pole buried deep in the Antarctic ice?
- Directly states IceCube is a cubic-kilometer particle detector.
- Specifies the detector is made of Antarctic ice and located at the South Pole.
- Describes IceCube as a cubic-kilometer Cherenkov particle detector deployed in Antarctic ice beneath the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
- Explicitly says the array instruments a cubic-kilometer of ice.
- Refers to instruments buried in a cubic kilometer of Antarctic ice to detect neutrino signals.
- Supports the description of IceCube's instrumented volume being one cubic kilometer.
Gives the enormous areal scale of Antarctica (14 million kmĀ² and 90% of terrestrial ice), showing the continent contains vast amounts of ice volume.
A student could combine this large area with a plausible range of ice thickness (from basic external maps/ice-thickness data) to judge whether a 1 kmĀ³ instrumented volume is a tiny fraction and therefore physically plausible on the continent.
States Antarctica is covered by a single enormous ice sheet and describes coastal ice-shelf features, indicating substantial continuous ice suitable for in-ice detectors.
One could use the concept of a continuous ice sheet to infer that drilling/embedding instruments into a contiguous block of ice of order cubic kilometres is feasible given typical ice-sheet extents.
Reports very large iceberg/shelf fragment sizes (example: 11,000 kmĀ² iceberg), illustrating the scale at which Antarctic ice exists in contiguous volumes/areas.
Comparing an 11,000 kmĀ² area (from snippet) to the 1 kmĀ³ volume, a student could note that even modest ice thicknesses across small areas easily yield cubic-kilometre volumes, supporting plausibility.
Defines Antarctica geographically (land and ice-shelves south of 60Ā°S) and notes it is designated a scientific reserve, implying major scientific installations are sited there.
Knowing the South Pole lies within this region, a student could combine the treaty's emphasis on science with maps to locate where a large ice-based detector might be placed on the Antarctic ice sheet.
Describes the ice-cap climate of interior Antarctica where temperatures remain below freezing and snow/ice accumulate into thick ice sheets.
Using the idea of thick, persistent interior ice, a student could infer that drilling or embedding instrumentation into multi-hundred-to-thousand-metre-thick ice (sufficient to create 1 kmĀ³ volumes) is consistent with Antarctic conditions.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
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This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
Login with Google to unlock all statements.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
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