A Cosmic Ray Observatory for Ultra High Energy Processes (Physics)

该奖项授予犹他大学的Loh、Cassiday和Sokolsky教授，以表彰他们对“Fly’s Eye”设施的持续运营和升级发展。这个独特的仪器测量了由超高能量宇宙射线引发的大气级联中产生的氮荧光。该实验研究了这些宇宙射线的能谱和化学成分。该合同还支持设备升级的初始设计和原型开发阶段，使其灵敏度提高10倍。这个装置已经产生了令人兴奋的新结果，这些结果涉及宇宙射线与“大爆炸”留下的三度光子的相互作用，以及将粒子加速到比以往任何人造装置都高得多的能量的机制。在未来，它将达到更高的灵敏度，并可能探测到宇宙弦的存在。

This award to Professors Loh, Cassiday and Sokolsky of the University of Utah is for the continued operation and upgrade development of the "Fly's Eye" facility. This unique apparatus measures the nitrogen fluorescence light produced in cascades in the atmosphere initiated by ultra-high energy cosmic rays. The experiment studies the energy spectra and chemical composition of these cosmic rays. The award also supports the initial design and prototype development stages of a upgrade of the facility to make a ten-fold increase in its sensitivity. This facility has already produced exciting new results which bear on the interaction of the cosmic rays with the three degree photons left from the "big bang" and on the mechanism of accelerating particles to energies much higher than ever achieved with a man-made device. In the future, it will achieve greater sensitivity and may detect the presence of cosmic strings.