Simulation and sensitivities for a phased IceCube-Gen2 deployment

TL;DR

This paper discusses simulations of the phased deployment of IceCube-Gen2, focusing on how its detection capabilities and sensitivities will improve as the detector is constructed in stages over several Antarctic summers.

Contribution

It provides a detailed simulation of the in-ice optical array deployment and analyzes the expected progression of the detector's performance during phased construction.

Findings

Reconstruction capabilities improve with each deployment phase.

Sensitivity to astrophysical neutrinos increases as more strings are added.

The phased deployment plan enhances detection prospects for faint sources.

Abstract

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory opened the window on high-energy neutrino astronomy by confirming the existence of PeV astrophysical neutrinos and identifying the first compelling astrophysical neutrino source in the blazar TXS0506+056. Planning is underway to build an enlarged detector, IceCube-Gen2, which will extend measurements to higher energies, increase the rate of observed cosmic neutrinos and provide improved prospects for detecting fainter sources. IceCube-Gen2 is planned to have an extended in-ice optical array, a radio array at shallower depths for detecting ultra-high-energy (>100 PeV) neutrinos, and a surface component studying cosmic rays. In this contribution, we will discuss the simulation of the in-ice optical component of the baseline design of the IceCube-Gen2 detector, which foresees the deployment of an additional ~120 new detection strings to the existing 86 in IceCube over ~7 Antarctic summer seasons. Motivated by the phased construction plan for IceCube-Gen2, we discuss how the reconstruction capabilities and sensitivities of the instrument are expected to progress throughout its deployment.