Speaker
Description
J. M. Mitchell, A. R. Fazely — Southern University and A&M College, IceCube Collaboration
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory detects high-energy astrophysical neutrinos through Cherenkov radiation produced when secondary charged particles travel through Antarctic ice. The IceCube Upgrade has recently deployed new optical modules along additional strings in the DeepCore region, extending the detector's sensitivity to lower neutrino energies.
Reliable simulation of optical module detection efficiency is critical for accurate event reconstruction. If efficiency assumptions in simulation are incorrect, every physics result built on top inherits that error. We present ongoing Geant4-based simulations of the IceCube Upgrade detector geometry, modeling Cherenkov photon production, propagation through depth-dependent Antarctic ice, and detection at the photocathode via the photoelectric effect.
Preliminary simulations successfully initialize the full detector geometry and produce Cherenkov photon yields consistent with expected positron interactions in ice. Current work focuses on characterizing photon detection efficiency across the upgraded module configuration while also benchmarking quantum efficiency implementation against collaboration measurements.
This work is conducted at Southern University and A&M College as part of the IceCube Collaboration, contributing to the broader detector simulation validation effort ahead of full Upgrade data analysis.
Southern University and A&M College, IceCube Collaboration