Highest Energy Cosmic Rays

这是一项关于继续让芝加哥大学（UC）参与皮埃尔俄歇天文台（PAO）的提议。该观测站的设计目的是研究能量大于10^19 eV的宇宙射线的起源和性质，方法是测量它们的能量、成分和整个天空中到达方向的分布，并进行大量的统计和仔细控制系统效应。 正在阿根廷建造的南部PAO是第一个混合探测器，它结合了测量超高能宇宙射线（UHECR）引起的簇射的两种最先进的技术。该观测站利用表面阵列探测到达地面的簇射粒子，并通过大气中产生的荧光探测簇射的纵向发展。这种组合对于精确的能量测量和可靠的成分研究至关重要。该提案代表了UC两个NSF支持的团体的合并。 克罗宁在目前正在建设天文台的15个国家的国际合作中发挥了重要作用。Olinto专注于这些最高能量粒子起源的理论方面，以及空气淋浴技术的优势和局限性。将两个小组整合为一个单一的努力将有利于研究目标和学生的培训，让他们参与科学的各个方面：从PAO的建设和运作到其数据的分析和解释。广泛影响：最高能量粒子起源的发现将影响天体物理学和粒子物理学。UHECR研究中涉及的基本问题引起了大量科学界的关注，他们热切地等待着结果。南部专业会计组织对地球仪参与国的公共教育和外联产生了重大影响：从阿根廷到越南。与阿德勒天文馆/加州大学在天体物理学可视化方面的努力合作，该提案通过开发最高能量阵雨的3D和2D可视化，其检测方法和可能的宇宙起源，扩大了公众的影响范围，并加强了教育和公众宣传工作的物理学和天体物理学内容的深度。

This is a proposal to continue the participation of the University of Chicago (UC) in the Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO). The observatory is designed to study the origin and nature of cosmic rays with energies greater than 10^19 eV by measuring their energy, their composition, and the distribution of arrival directions over the entire sky with large statistics and careful control of systematic effects. The Southern PAO, under construction in Argentina, is the first hybrid detector that combines the two best-developed techniques of measuring showers caused by ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR). The observatory detects shower particles that reach the surface with a surface array and the longitudinal development of the shower through the fluorescence produced in the atmosphere. This combination is essential for accurate energy measurements and reliable composition studies. This proposal represents the merging of two NSF-supported groups at UC. Cronin has been instrumental in the formation of the international collaboration of the 15 countries now building the observatory. Olinto has focused on the theoretical aspects of the origin of these highest energy particles as well as the strengths and limitations of the air shower techniques. The integration of the two groups into a single effort will benefit both the research goals and the training of students by involving them in all aspects of science: from the construction and operation of the PAO to the analysis and interpretation of its data. Broad Impact: The discovery of the origin of the highest energy particles will impact both astrophysics and particle physics. The fundamental questions involved in the study of UHECR have drawn the attention of a large scientific community eagerly awaiting the results. The Southern PAO has had a major impact on public education and outreach throughout the participating countries across the globe: from Argentina to Vietnam. In collaboration with the Adler Planetarium/UC effort in astrophysics visualization, this proposal enlarges the public reach and strengthens the depth of physics and astrophysics content of the education and public outreach effort by developing 3D and 2D visualizations of the highest energy showers, their detection methods, and possible cosmic origins.