Measuring the Orientation of Radio Antennas in the Surface of the IceCube Observatory Using Galactic Noise

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole includes three surface stations equipped with elevated scintillation panels and dual-polarization SKALA-v2 radio antennas, which are part of a planned enhancement of the IceTop air-shower array. These antennas detect radio emissions from cosmic-ray air showers, necessitating precise polarization orientations within about one degree for accurate reconstruction of shower properties. Traditional differential GPS surveys are resource-intensive and limited to infrequent campaigns. Here, we present an alternative method exploiting sidereal modulation of Galactic background noise in the 120–150 MHz band, leveraging the constant visibility of the Galactic Center at a fixed zenith angle.