The Highest Energy Astroparticle Physics

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This award will fund the participation of the University of Chicago in the Pierre Auger Observatory and related particle astrophysics. The Observatory is designed to discover the origin of the highest energy particles ever observed and to study their interactions. Located in Malargue, Argentina, it observes cosmic rays with energies from about 10^17 eV to above 10^20 eV. The Chicago group has made essential contributions to the design and installation of observatory elements, to the development of the online software, to monitoring functions, to the data analysis, to implications of the spectrum, anisotropy, and shower properties results for finding the sources of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). These include the effects of propagation through space, the role of galactic and extragalactic magnetic fields, and the possibility of testing fundamental physics with UHECRs and neutrinos. The integration of the theoretical and phenomenological studies of UHECRs and the implications of Auger data to multi-wavelength and multi-messenger particle astrophysics with the observations and data anlysis into a single effort has greatly benefited both the research goals and the training of postdocs and students.Broad Impacts: The discovery of the origin of the highest energy particles would impact particle astrophysics. The Observatory has a major impact on public education and outreach across the globe: from Argentina to Vietnam. In collaboration with the Auger Visitors Center, the Malargue Planetarium, and the Adler Planetarium, the Chicago effort will enlarge the public reach and strengthen the depth of physics and astrophysics content of the public outreach efforts by promoting the 3D and 2D visualizations of the highest energy showers, their detection methods and possible cosmic origins. They will expand the reach of the Science Bulletin video developed in collaboration with the American Natural History Museum.