Seasonal Variation of Polar Ice: Implications for Ultrahigh Energy Neutrino Detectors
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866914333770907648 |
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| author | Kyriacou, Alexander Prohira, Steven Besson, Dave |
| author_facet | Kyriacou, Alexander Prohira, Steven Besson, Dave |
| contents | The upper $100 \, \mathrm{m}$ to $150 \, \mathrm{m}$ of the polar ice sheet, called the firn, has a time-dependent density due to seasonal variations in the surface temperature and snow accumulation. We present RF simulations of an in-ice neutrino-induced radio source that show that these density anomalies create variations in the amplitude and propagation times of radio signals propagating through polar firn at an altitude of ${\sim}3000 \, \mathrm{m}$ above sea level. The received power from signals generated in the ice that refract within the upper ${\sim} 15 \, \mathrm{m}$ firn are subject to a seasonal variation on the order of 10\%. These variations result in an irreducible background uncertainty on the reconstructed neutrino energy and arrival direction for detectors using ice as a detection medium. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_08921 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Seasonal Variation of Polar Ice: Implications for Ultrahigh Energy Neutrino Detectors Kyriacou, Alexander Prohira, Steven Besson, Dave High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Experiment The upper $100 \, \mathrm{m}$ to $150 \, \mathrm{m}$ of the polar ice sheet, called the firn, has a time-dependent density due to seasonal variations in the surface temperature and snow accumulation. We present RF simulations of an in-ice neutrino-induced radio source that show that these density anomalies create variations in the amplitude and propagation times of radio signals propagating through polar firn at an altitude of ${\sim}3000 \, \mathrm{m}$ above sea level. The received power from signals generated in the ice that refract within the upper ${\sim} 15 \, \mathrm{m}$ firn are subject to a seasonal variation on the order of 10\%. These variations result in an irreducible background uncertainty on the reconstructed neutrino energy and arrival direction for detectors using ice as a detection medium. |
| title | Seasonal Variation of Polar Ice: Implications for Ultrahigh Energy Neutrino Detectors |
| topic | High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Experiment |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.08921 |