Hybrid cosmic ray measurements using the IceAct telescopes in coincidence with the IceCube and IceTop detectors

IceAct is a proposed surface array of compact (50 cm diameter) and cost-effective Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes installed at the site of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the geographic South Pole. Since January 2019, two IceAct telescope demonstrators, featuring 61 silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) pixels have been taking data in the center of the IceTop surface array during the austral winter. We present the first analysis of hybrid cosmic ray events detected by the IceAct imaging air-Cherenkov telescopes in coincidence with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, including the IceTop surface array and the IceCube in-ice array. By featuring an energy threshold of about 10 TeV and a wide field-of-view, the IceAct telescopes show promising capabilities of improving current cosmic ray composition studies: measuring the Cherenkov light emissions in the atmosphere adds new information about the shower development not accessible with the current detectors, enabling significantly better primary particle type discrimination on a statistical basis. The hybrid measurement also allows for detailed feasibility studies of detector cross-calibration and of cosmic ray veto capabilities for neutrino analyses. We present the performance of the telescopes, the results from the analysis of two years of data, and an outlook of a hybrid simulation for a future telescope array

Three-year performance of the IceAct telescopes at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory

IceAct is an array of compact Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes at the ice surface as part of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. The telescopes, featuring a camera of 61 silicon photomultipliers and fresnel-lens-based optics, are optimized to be operated in harsh environmental conditions, such as at the South Pole. Since 2019, the first two telescopes have been operating in a stereoscopic configuration in the center of IceCube\u27s surface detector IceTop. With an energy threshold of about 10 TeV and a wide field-of-view, the IceAct telescopes show promising capabilities of improving current cosmic-ray composition studies: measuring the Cherenkov light emissions in the atmosphere adds new information about the shower development not accessible with the current detectors. First simulations indicate that the added information of a single telescope leads, e.g., to an improved discrimination between flux contributions from different primary particle species in the sensitive energy range. We review the performance and detector operations of the telescopes during the past 3 years (2020-2022) and give an outlook on the future of IceAct

Delivering sustainable public transport: the case of the Better Bus Area Fund

Transport for South Hampshire, a joint board responsible for transport planning for a conurbation of over one million people, successfully bid for the UK's Better Bus Area Fund. This will result in investments of £7.4 million over the period 2012 to 2014, of which £4.5 million will come from central government. Investments will include installation of Wi-Fi on vehicles, Near Field Communication (NFC) tags and Next Stop Displays and Announcement systems, along with marketing initiatives, the development of mobile apps and the refurbishment of buses. These investments will be complemented by other initiatives in the conurbation, not least some £27 million of investments from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund over the period 2012 to 2015, including the development of key interchange points and bus corridors.This paper will outline the methodology that has been developed to monitor and evaluate these investments and will detail the baseline surveys that have been undertaken, the anticipated impacts on attitudes to and usage of bus services and the results of the initial implementation of the investment programme. The extent to which such investments can revitalise bus services in an area where there has been a long run historic decline will be assessed

A quantified system-of-systems modeling framework for robust national infrastructure planning

National infrastructure (NI) systems (i.e., energy, transport, water, waste, and information and communications technology) provide essential services to the economy and contribute to human well-being. These systems have evolved over centuries, being planned and implemented piecewise, and are mostly managed in isolation from one another. Here, we argue that the growing interconnection between these systems and the convergent challenges ahead (i.e., demographic, technological, and climate change) call for an integrated “system-of-systems” approach to managing NI. Toward that end, we propose a modeling framework for the long-term (to 2100) simulation of NI system performance in a highly uncertain future. The approach is based on the assessment of the performance of infrastructure services in a wide range of possible future conditions. This robust optimization is used to identify cross-sectoral strategies that ensure satisfactory infrastructure performance. We demonstrate the framework using Great Britain's NI as an example

Long-term strategic infrastructure planning model for Saint Lucia.

This Excel model encodes the analytical capability required to undertake an application of the unique and pioneering National Infrastructure Systems Modelling (NISMOD) capability, which has been developed by the Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC) - a UK based research consortium, led by the University of Oxford.</span