Measurement of Cosmic Ray Response Functions for an Ice Cherenkov Detector

We determined a set of cosmic ray response functions for the ice Cherenkov detector used by the surface air shower IceTop, part of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole. At the same time we measured the response function of moderated neutron detectors that are now in use in conjunction with IceTop. We did this by means of a global latitude survey conducted with a detector identical to the IceTop sensors built in a freezer van installed on the Swedish icebreaker Oden. The freezer van also housed the moderated neutron detectors. Cosmic rays shower data were recorded on the Oden voyage from Sweden to McMurdo and return during the 2009-2010 austral summer season. Reliance on student observers and data analysts enhanced the broader impact of this research and firmly grounds this effort in its educational mission.