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- Askebjer, P., et al.
(author)
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Optical properties of deep ice at the South Pole : Absorption
- 1997
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In: Applied Optics. - : Optical Society of America. - 0003-6935 .- 1539-4522. ; 36:18, s. 4168-4180
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We discuss recent measurements of the wavelength-dependent absorption coefficients in deep South Pole ice. The method uses transit-time distributions of pulses from a variable-frequency laser sent between emitters and receivers embedded in the ice. At depths of 800-1000 m scattering is dominated by residual air bubbles, whereas absorption occurs both in ice itself and in insoluble impurities. The absorption coefficient increases approximately exponentially with wavelength in the measured interval 410-610 nm. At the shortest wavelength our value is approximately a factor 20 below previous values obtained for laboratory ice and lake ice; with increasing wavelength the discrepancy with previous measurements decreases. At ∼415 to ∼500 nm the experimental uncertainties are small enough for us to resolve an extrinsic contribution to absorption in ice: submicrometer dust particles contribute by an amount that increases with depth and corresponds well with the expected increase seen near the Last Glacial Maximum in Vostok and Dome C ice cores. The laser pulse method allows remote mapping of gross structure in dust concentration as a function of depth in glacial ice.
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- Askebjer, P., et al.
(author)
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AMANDA : status report from the 1993-94 campaign and optical properties of the South Pole ice
- 1995
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In: Nuclear physics B, Proceedings supplements. - : Elsevier. - 0920-5632 .- 1873-3832. ; 38:1-3, s. 287-292
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report the first results of the AMANDA detector. During the antarctic summer 1993-94 four strings were deployed between 0.8 an 1 km depth, each equipped with 20 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). A laser source was used to investigate the optical properties of the ice in situ. We find that the ice is intrinsically extremely transparent. The measured absorption length is 59 ± 3 m, i.e. comparable with the quality of the ultra-pure water used in the IMB and Kamiokande proton-decay and neutrino experiments [1,2] and more than two times longer than the best value reported for laboratory ice [3]. Due to a residual density of air bubbles at these depths, the motion of photons in the medium is randomized. For spherical, smooth bubbles we find that, at 1 km depth, the average distance between collisions is about 25 cm. The measured inverse scattering length on bubbles decreases linearly with increasing depth in the volume of ice investigated. © 1995 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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- Askebjer, P., et al.
(author)
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On the age vs depth and optical clarity of deep ice at South Pole
- 1995
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In: Journal of Glaciology. - 0022-1430 .- 1727-5652. ; 41:139, s. 445-454
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The first four strings of phototubes for the AMANDA high-energy neutrino observatory are now frozen in place at a depth of 800 to 1000 m in ice at the South Pole. During the 1995-96 season an additional six strings will be deployed at greater depths. Provided absorption, scattering, and refraction of visible light are sufficiently small, the trajectory of a muon into which a neutrino converts can be determined by using the array of phototubes to measure the arrival times of \v{C}erenkov light emitted by the muon. To help in deciding on the depth for implantation of the six new strings, we discuss models of age vs depth for South Pole ice, we estimate mean free paths for scattering from bubbles and dust as a function of depth, and we assess distortion of light paths due to refraction at crystal boundaries and interfaces between air-hydrate inclusions and normal ice. We conclude that the depth interval 1600 to 1800 m will be suitably transparent for the next six AMANDA strings and, moreover, that the interval 1600 to 2100 m will be suitably transparent for a future 1-km 3 observatory except possibly in a region a few tens of meters thick at a depth corresponding to a peak in the dust concentration at 60 kyr BP.
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5. |
- Askebjer, P., et al.
(author)
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Optical properties of the South Pole ice at depths between 0.8 and 1 kilometer
- 1995
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In: Science. - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 267:5201, s. 1147-1150
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The optical properties of the ice at the geographical South Pole have been investigated at depths between 0.8 and 1 kilometer. The absorption and scattering lengths of visible light (∼515 nanometers) have been measured in situ with the use of the laser calibration setup of the Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array (AMANDA) neutrino detector. The ice is intrinsically extremely transparent. The measured absorption length is 59 ± 3 meters, comparable with the quality of the ultrapure water used in the Irvine-Michigan-Brookhaven and Kamiokande proton-decay and neutrino experiments and more than twice as long as the best value reported for laboratory ice. Because of a residual density of air bubbles at these depths, the trajectories of photons in the medium are randomized. If the bubbles are assumed to be smooth and spherical, the average distance between collisions at a depth of 1 kilometer is about 25 centimeters. The measured inverse scattering length on bubbles decreases linearly with increasing depth in the volume of ice investigated.
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- Askebjer, P., et al.
(author)
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UV and optical light transmission properties in deep ice at the South Pole
- 1997
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In: Geophysical Research Letters. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 24:11, s. 1355-1358
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Both absorption and scattering of light at wavelengths 410 to 610 nanometers were measured in the South Pole ice at depths 0.8 to 1 kilometer with the laser calibration system of the Antarctic Muon And Neutrino Detector Array (AMANDA). At the shortest wavelengths the absorption lengths exceeded 200 meters - an order of magnitude longer than has been reported for laboratory ice. The absorption shows a strong wavelength dependence while the scattering length is found to be independent of the wavelength, consistent with the hypothesis of a residual density of air bubbles in the ice. The observed linear decrease of the inverse scattering length with depth is compatible with an earlier measurement by the AMANDA collaboration (at ∼515 nanometers).
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- Bergstrom, L., et al.
(author)
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The AMANDA experiment : Status and prospects for indirect dark matter detection
- 1996
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In: The identification of dark matter. Proceedings, 1st International Workshop, Sheffield, UK, September 8-12, 1996. ; , s. 521-528
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- At the AMANDA South Pole site, four new holes were drilled to depths 2050m to 2180 m and instrumented with 86 photomultipliers (PMTs) at depths1520-2000 m. Of these PMTs 79 are working, with 4-ns timing resolutionand noise rates 300 to 600 Hz. Various diagnostic devices were deployedand are working. An observed factor 60 increase in scattering length anda sharpening of the distribution of arrival times of laser pulses relative tomeasurements at 800-1000 m showed that bubbles are absent below 1500 m.Absorption lengths are 100 to 150 m at wavelengths in the blue and UV to337 nm. Muon coincidences are seen between the SPASE air shower arrayand the AMANDA PMTs at 800-1000 m and 1500-1900 m. The muon trackrate is 30 Hz for 8-fold triggers and 10 Hz for 10-fold triggers. The presentarray is the nucleus for a future expanded array. The potential of AMANDAfor SUSY dark matter search through the detection of high-energy neutrinosfrom the centre of the Sun or Earth is discussed.
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- Chong, S S, et al.
(author)
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Contribution of DNA sequence and CAG size to mutation frequencies of intermediate alleles for Huntington disease : evidence from single sperm analyses.
- 1997
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In: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 6:2, s. 301-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- New mutations for Huntington disease (HD) arise from intermediate alleles (IAs) with between 29 and 35 CAG repeats that expand on transmission through the paternal germline to 36 CAGs or greater. Using single sperm analysis, we have assessed CAG mutation frequencies for four IAs in families with sporadic HD (IANM) and IAs ascertained from the general population (IAGP) by analyzing 1161 single sperm from three persons. We show that IANM are more unstable than IAGP with identical size and sequence. Furthermore, comparison of different sized IAs and IAs with different sequences between the CAG and the adjacent CCG tracts indicates that DNA sequence is a major influence on CAG stability. These studies provide estimates of the likelihood of expansion of IANM and IAGP to > or = 36 CAG repeats for these individuals. For an IA with a CAG of 35 in this family with sporadic HD, the likelihood for siblings to inherit a recurrent mutation > or = 36 CAG is approximately 10%. For IAGP of a similar size, the risk of inheriting an expanded allele of > or = 36 CAG through the paternal germline is approximately 6%. These risk estimates are higher than previously reported and provide additional information for counselling in these families. Further studies on persons with IAs will be needed to determine whether these results can be generalized to other families.
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