We report the first analysis of background data from DM-Ice17, a direct-detection dark matter experiment consisting of 17 kg of NaI(Tl) target material. It was codeployed with IceCube 2457 m deep in the South Pole glacial ice in December 2010 and is the first such detector operating in the Southern Hemisphere. The background rate in the $6.5–8.0{\mathrm{keV}}_{\mathrm{ee}}$ region is measured to be $7.9\pm 0.4\text{counts}/\text{day}/\mathrm{keV}/\mathrm{kg}$. This is consistent with the expected background from the detector assemblies with negligible contributions from the surrounding ice. The successful deployment and operation of DM-Ice17 establishes the South Pole ice as a viable location for future underground, low-background experiments in the Southern Hemisphere. The detector assembly and deployment are described here, as well as the analysis of the DM-Ice17 backgrounds based on data from the first two years of operation after commissioning, July 2011–June 2013.

• Received 13 August 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.90.092005