A Large Radio Detector at the Pierre Auger Observatory - Measuring the Properties of Cosmic Rays up to the Highest Energies
A Large Radio Detector at the Pierre Auger Observatory - Measuring the Properties of Cosmic Rays up to the Highest Energies
复制标题
皮埃尔俄歇天文台的大型无线电探测器 - 测量最高能量的宇宙射线的特性
DOI：
10.22323/1.358.0395
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发表时间：
2019
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
B. Pont
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
B. Pont
高能宇宙射线撞击地球大气层，引发次级粒子级联，即广泛的空气簇射。簇射中的许多粒子是电子和正电子，它们由于与地球磁场的相互作用而发出频率为几十MHz的辐射。在过去的几年里，通过这些频率的无线电信号测量广泛的空气簇射的特性已经取得了巨大的进展。
无线电技术现在通常用于测量宇宙射线的性质，例如它们的到达方向，它们的能量和它们的粒子类型/质量。天顶角超过60 °的空气簇射在地面上有很大的无线电发射足迹，可以用间隔更大的稀疏阵列探测到。利用俄歇工程无线电阵列（AERA）测量了这些“水平空气簇射”，证明了无线电技术用于高度倾斜簇射的可行性。
目前，俄歇合作组织正在升级其探测器。升级包括在阵列的1661个水切伦科夫探测器中的每一个上安装无线电天线。无线电升级（RD）的主要目标是测量水平空气簇射，并确定最高能量的宇宙射线的特性。水切伦科夫探测器和无线电天线的组合将为最高能量的水平空气簇射提供μ子-电子分离。
将介绍技术实施和预期性能的细节。
High-energy cosmic rays impinging on the atmosphere of the Earth induce cascades of secondary particles, the extensive air showers. Many particles in the showers are electrons and positrons, which due to interactions with the magnetic field of the Earth emit radiation with frequencies of several tens of MHz. In the last years, huge progress has been made in measuring the characteristics of extensive air showers through their radio signal at these frequencies.
The radio technique is now routinely applied to measure the properties of cosmic rays, such as their arrival direction, their energy, and their particle type/mass. Air showers with zenith angles above 60$^\circ$ have a large footprint of the radio emission on the ground which can be detected with sparse arrays with kilometer-scale spacing. With the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) these "horizontal air showers" are measured, demonstrating the feasibility of the radio technique for highly inclined showers.
At present, the Auger Collaboration is upgrading its detectors. The upgrade includes the installation of radio antennas on each of the 1661 water-Cherenkov detectors of the array. The main objective of the radio upgrade (RD) is to measure horizontal air showers and to determine the properties of cosmic rays up to the highest energies. The combination of water-Cherenkov detectors and radio antennas will provide muon-electron separation for horizontal air showers at the highest energies.
Details of the technical implementation and the expected performance will be presented.