2010/05/25 by D. Besson, Besson, Dave, Ilya Kravchenko +5
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #FOS: Physical sciences #High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE) #Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM) #Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology #Scientific Research and Discoveries
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1005.4589
openalex publication_date 2010/05/25 · openalex created_date 2022/10/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Using a bistatic radar echo sounding (RES) system developed for calibration\nof the RICE particle astrophysics experiment at the South Pole, we have studied\nradio frequency (RF) reflections off the bedrock. The total propagation time of\n~ns-duration, vertically (z-) broadcast radio signals, as a function of\npolarization orientation in the horizontal plane, provides a direct probe of\nthe geometry-dependence of the ice permittivity to a depth of 2.8 km. We\nobserve clear birefringent asymmetries along z- in the lowest half of the ice\nsheet, at a fractional level ~0.3%. This result is in contrast to expectations\nbased on measurements at Dome Fuji, for which birefringence was observed in the\nupper 1.5 km of the ice sheet. This effect, combined with the increased radio\nfrequency attenuation expected near the bedrock, renders the lower half\nthickness of South Polar ice less favorable than the upper half of the ice\nsheet in terms of its ultra-high energy neutrino detection potential.\n