The IceCube Neutrino Observatory - Design and Performance

The IceCube neutrino observatory is currently under construction near the geographic South Pole. Upon completion in 2011 it will consist of two complementary parts, an in-ice array with up to 4800 digital optical modules (DOMs) and a surface array with 320 DOMs. Up to 80 strings of the in-ice detector with 60 modules per string will instrument a cubic kilometer of ice between 1450 to 2450 m depth and will enable the detection of high energy neutrinos produced in astrophysical sources or in the atmosphere. Two surface ice tanks will be installed close to the position of each string, both instrumented with two DOMs. These 160 tanks allow for cosmic ray composition studies. In addition, they are used to reject part of the background in the in-ice array and for the calibration of string modules. After describing the detector design, the performance of the currently installed 9 in-ice strings and 32 surface tanks will be discussed.