1. Plans for 05-06 • Baseline goals: • Verify structural integrity of basic RICE-II design • Biggest concern = OF ability to survive re-freeze • Will have to rely on previous AMANDA experience in assessing cladding requirements. • Verify 1 ns timing resolution • Ping RICE-II receivers with RICE-I Tx and vertex in conjunction with current RICE array • Verify 1 ns transient waveform response • Estimate and collect data on noise for an Rx on surface for possible surface co-deployment • Verify ray tracing effects through firn (impacts decision to use surface antennas, etc.) • Set groundwork for full-scale 06-07 deployment.

2. 2005-06 plan, cont. • With existing, or to-be-drilled dry holes, measure noise @surface & examine surface waves beyond TIR. • Re-do RF reflection off bed; investigate coupling to snow, position-dependence of R(bottom), etc. • If access into IceCube holes possible: • Determine robustness of OF to freeze-in: • Drop ~300 m length of well-clad OF into IceCube hole (no attached electronics). OTDR during freeze-in; evaluate loss of signal • Radioglaciology/coupling of horn to firn: • Transmission thru firn: Drop aluminum reflector, on rope, into IC hole to depth of ~250 m. Ping with RF transmitter; look at reflected signal. • Submitting proposal to NSF for additional hole drilling

3. Comment on drilling/geometry • Co-deployment in IC holes~1/3 Veff at high end relative to “ideal” geometry, but lower threshold relative to sparse array • Simulations tuning on ESS events: • dz~dQc at R~latten (R=distance to neutrino vertex) • ~100-120 m vertical spacing b/w Rx • dr ~latten/2 • ~500 m - 1 km horizontal spacing b/w Rx

5. ICP geometry vs. 1 km-spacing

6. ICP vs. 1km-hole spacing Veff 3x Veff at high end, but flux~E-3

7. General comment on schedule • As attention increasingly focuses on GZK end of neutrino spectrum, increasing likelihood that GZK-expt will be built • ANITA, SalSA, OWL, etc (Rolf talk)… • Aside: have run salt vs. ice sims (ICRC05): • Salt signal~1/3 ice-signal, but higher density compensates in overall event rate • ANTARES+acoustic & IceCube+acoustic/radio are unique opportunities for a detector with sensitivity in range 102 GeV1011 GeV.

8. Goals of NSF proposal • 3 dry holes, to depth of 300m @Pole, at r=0, r=2/3 km, r=2 km • Transparency measurements, horizontally, as f(z) • Birefringence measurements require <1ns timing at receiver. • Utility for acoustic measurements?