Hanson returns to IceCube in search of neutrinos

October 7th 2014 Simon Kuran
Natural & Physical Sciences
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This story is part of a series that profiles new faculty members to the College of Letters & Science. 


As a child, Kael Hanson used to gaze at the stars through his father's telescope. He remembers those glimpses opening his mind to the sheer vastness of the universe.

These days, Hanson works on uncovering some of the universe's mysteries. Hanson returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison this fall to serve as director of the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center after five years in Brussels, Belgium, where he was an assistant professor of astroparticle physics at the Universite libre de Bruxelles.

Before heading abroad, Hanson spent nearly seven years working on the IceCube project, from optical sensor design and testing, to data acquisition, to detector operations for the particle detector located in Antarctica.

We asked the new associate professor of physics about neutrinos (subatomic particles that may play a role in why the universe is built of matter), life at the South Pole and more.

Q: What makes the IceCube project so exciting and worthwhile?
A: The IceCube detector has been a monumental achievement technically. We are starting to see the payoffs of this great effort: last year IceCube found the signal it was designed to detect after just a few years of operation. I think we are going to see more science and more discoveries coming from this project. However, IceCube is more than the machine: there are also the people that make it work day to day and exploit the volumes of data that it produces. The team is international, spread out over more than 40 institutions worldwide; nevertheless we work as a team and a highly coherent team, at that.

Q: What is neutrino astrophysics?
A: Neutrino astrophysics uses neutrinos to study the universe and the universe to study neutrinos. Neutrinos are really hard to detect, which is why we have to build large detectors, but they also have many properties that make them attractive as probes of complex high energy phenomena, such as supermassive black holes and gamma ray bursters. The neutrinos are very weakly interacting, so it's like having X-ray vision, but neutrinos are many billions of times more penetrating than even X-rays — so let your mind ponder the possibilities.

Q: What is your favorite part about trips to the South Pole?
A: I just took my fifth trip last year. Every time is different: the first time was obviously over-the-top exciting, just being in such an exotic milieu. Things changed quite a bit from that first time: The new station was completed, enlarging the dark, close quarters of the old dome into a bright, relatively spacious experience. I enjoy interacting with everyone down there, the other scientists and the support staff. It’s the epitome of a non-stratified society. I think there's also a special bond you develop with your IceCube co-workers in sharing the experience.

Q: Why are you most excited to return to UW-Madison?
A: UW-Madison is the organizational center of the IceCube project and it really feels like a flurry of activity when you are there. The group is simply a large and vibrant group and so there are so many opportunities to exchange information face-to-face with literally dozens of people working in the same general framework as you. E-mail and other forms of remote interaction have been an enormous boost for researchers, but there is still no means of communication as efficient as sitting down and chatting with someone.

Q: What do you like to do outside of work?
A: I have five children, so when I am not working I try my best to stay involved with their lives. Madison is great for outdoor activities like sailing with Hoofers and hiking in the surrounding trails. This winter, I'd like to take a nice ski vacation with the whole family.