Data Analysis and Atmospheric Monitoring for the Pierre Auger Observatory

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。它将为阿根廷马拉格的皮埃尔俄歇天文台的工作提供资金。该天文台是世界上最大的“超高能”宇宙射线探测器。这些数据有望揭示这些宇宙射线的起源，这些宇宙射线是（已知）宇宙中能量最高的粒子。测量到的宇宙射线的能谱比质子的当量静止质量大11个数量级。没有一个单一的来源或来源类别预计负责通量在这样一个广泛的能量范围。这些粒子的大能量意味着它们在极端天体物理学物体中的剧烈过程中被加速，例如包含超大质量黑洞的活动星系核或伽马射线暴。凭借其在冰立方和中微子物理学和现象学的主要参与，威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校是一个自然的地方，探索皮埃尔俄歇天文台作为中微子探测器的可能性，并进一步研究宇宙射线和中微子之间的联系。PI特别关注的领域是宇宙射线到达方向分布中的离散源和各向异性以及超高能量中微子的搜索。他的第二个主要工作是研究大气层及其对宇宙射线测量的影响。探测器的能量校准依赖于空气荧光探测器，需要对大气吸收和散射进行校正。该计划的更广泛影响包括旨在提高公众对科学的理解的外联活动，例如通过“宇宙极端”等小册子，并让K-12教师和高中学生参与正在进行的研究。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). It will provide funds to work on the Pierre Auger Observatory in Malargue, Argentina. The Observatory is the world's largest detector for "ultra-high energy" cosmic rays. The data promises to shed light on the origin of these cosmic rays, the highest energy particles of the (known) Universe. The measured energy spectrum of cosmic rays extends up to eleven orders of magnitude greater than the equivalent rest mass of the proton. No single source or source class is expected to be responsible for the flux over such a wide range of energies. The large energies of these particles imply that they are accelerated in violent processes in extreme astrophysical objects, for example Active Galactic Nuclei, which contain supermassive black holes, or Gamma Ray Bursts. With its major involvement in IceCube and in neutrino physics and phenomenology, UW-Madison is a natural place to explore the possibilities of the Pierre Auger Observatory as a neutrino detector, and to further study the connection between cosmic rays and neutrinos. The PI's areas of particular strength and interest are the search for discrete sources and anisotropies in the cosmic ray arrival direction distribution and the search for neutrinos at ultra-high energies. His second main effort will be the study of the atmosphere and its influence on cosmic ray measurements. The energy calibration of the detector relies on the air fluorescence detector and requires corrections for atmospheric absorption and scattering to be applied.The broader impact of the program includes outreach activities aimed at enhancing the public's understanding of science, for example through brochures like "Cosmic Extremes" and involving K-12 teachers and high school students in ongoing research.