Sensitivity of the IceCube Upgrade to Atmospheric Neutrino Oscillations

TL;DR

The IceCube Upgrade aims to significantly improve neutrino detection in the GeV range, enhancing sensitivity to atmospheric neutrino oscillations through new hardware and advanced data processing methods.

Contribution

This paper presents updated oscillation sensitivity results utilizing new hardware configurations and improved simulation, event selection, and reconstruction techniques.

Findings

Enhanced sensitivity to atmospheric neutrino oscillations.

Successful integration of multi-PMT optical modules.

Improved event reconstruction accuracy.

Abstract

IceCube DeepCore, the existing low-energy extension of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, was designed to lower the neutrino detection energy threshold to the GeV range. A new extension, called the IceCube Upgrade, will consist of seven additional strings installed within the DeepCore fiducial volume. The new modules will have spacings of about 20 m horizontally and 3 m vertically, compared to about 40-70 m horizontally and 7 m vertically in DeepCore. It will be deployed in the polar season of 2025/26. This additional hardware features new types of optical modules with multi-PMT configurations, as well as calibration devices. This upgrade will more than triple the number of PMT channels with respect to current IceCube, and will significantly enhance its capabilities in the GeV energy range. However, the increased channel count also poses new computational challenges for the event simulation, selection, and reconstruction. In this contribution we present updated oscillation sensitivities based on the latest advancements in simulation, event selection, and reconstruction techniques.