Development of the New Optical Sensor for IceCube-Gen2

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Butterfield, Delaney, Wendt, Chris
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Butterfield, Delaney
Wendt, Chris
author_facet Butterfield, Delaney
Wendt, Chris
contents A new digital optical module (DOM) has been developed for the proposed expansion to the IceCube detector at the South Pole, IceCube-Gen2. The "Gen2-DOM" has 4 times the integrated photon sensitivity of the current IceCube DOMs and has built off the design features of the IceCube Upgrade modules. The Gen2-DOM has up to 18 4" photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) in a borosilicate glass pressure vessel, arranged in a uniform 4$π$ angular distribution. The mechanical design has been optimized to fit into a reduced borehole diameter which, in turn, will reduce drilling costs during installation. Each PMT has a dedicated readout board, designed to increase sensitivity to high-energy events aligned with the science goals of IceCube-Gen2. Internal storage enables multi-level triggering schemes with reduced overall flow of data on the long cables. Twelve prototypes of the Gen2-DOM will be deployed in the IceCube Upgrade in the 2025-2026 austral summer. This article will focus on the current status of design development and initial performance testing results.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_08785
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Development of the New Optical Sensor for IceCube-Gen2
Butterfield, Delaney
Wendt, Chris
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Detectors
A new digital optical module (DOM) has been developed for the proposed expansion to the IceCube detector at the South Pole, IceCube-Gen2. The "Gen2-DOM" has 4 times the integrated photon sensitivity of the current IceCube DOMs and has built off the design features of the IceCube Upgrade modules. The Gen2-DOM has up to 18 4" photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) in a borosilicate glass pressure vessel, arranged in a uniform 4$π$ angular distribution. The mechanical design has been optimized to fit into a reduced borehole diameter which, in turn, will reduce drilling costs during installation. Each PMT has a dedicated readout board, designed to increase sensitivity to high-energy events aligned with the science goals of IceCube-Gen2. Internal storage enables multi-level triggering schemes with reduced overall flow of data on the long cables. Twelve prototypes of the Gen2-DOM will be deployed in the IceCube Upgrade in the 2025-2026 austral summer. This article will focus on the current status of design development and initial performance testing results.
title Development of the New Optical Sensor for IceCube-Gen2
topic Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Detectors
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.08785