Analysis of Data from the Telescope Array Observatory

望远镜阵列天文台数据分析

• 批准号: 2209584
• 负责人: Charles Jui
• 金额: $ 31万
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-10-01 至 2025-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2209584&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Analysis; Data; Telescope; Array; Observatory

The Telescope Array (TA) Observatory is the largest detector of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) in the Northern Hemisphere. An upgrade to the observatory (TAx4) is currently underway that will double the number of deployed surface detectors (SD) over an increased total instrumented area of approximately 1800 square-km. An array of florescence detectors (FDs) overlooks this SD array, providing important additional information on the detected events. This award supports the cosmic ray physics group at the University of Utah in analysis of data from the TA Observatory. The award includes support for postdoctoral and graduate student researchers carrying out studies of the TA “hot-spots” and studies of the ultra-high energy cosmic ray spectrum and composition. Under the award, the team will continue to develop a broad outreach program, ASPIRE, that includes online web lessons and direct interactions with the local community.TA data analyses have identified a “hot-spot” of UHECRs above 57 EeV in the northern sky at 3.5 sigma significance. The observatory has also seen indications of differences in the cosmic ray spectral shape when comparing events within the hotspot region to those outside, as well as an apparent declination dependence of the spectrum at the highest energies. The source of the hotspot, however, remains unknown. Inconsistencies between the measurements of TA and the Pierre Auger Observatory, the largest UHECR detector in the southern hemisphere, are also apparent at the highest energies, including in the studies of the width and shape of the Xmax distributions. The additional data collected with the TAx4 upgrade, combined with the energy calibrations of the recently installed FDs, will improve the sensitivity of the instrument toward resolving these important open questions in our understanding of the highest energy particles in the Universe.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

望远镜阵列（TA）天文台是北半球最大的超高能宇宙射线（uhecr）探测器。目前正在对观测站（TAx4）进行升级，这将使部署的表面探测器（SD）的数量增加一倍，总仪器面积增加约1800平方公里。荧光检测器阵列（fd）可以忽略这个SD阵列，提供有关检测事件的重要附加信息。该奖项支持犹他大学的宇宙射线物理小组分析来自TA天文台的数据。该奖项包括支持博士后和研究生研究人员进行研究TA“热点”和超高能量宇宙射线光谱和组成的研究。根据该奖项，该团队将继续开发一个广泛的推广项目ASPIRE，其中包括在线网络课程和与当地社区的直接互动。TA数据分析已经确定了北部天空中57 EeV以上的uhecr“热点”，其显著性为3.5 sigma。天文台在比较热点区域内和外部的事件时，也看到了宇宙射线光谱形状不同的迹象，以及光谱在最高能量处明显的赤纬依赖性。然而，热点的来源仍然未知。南半球最大的UHECR探测器皮埃尔·奥格天文台（Pierre Auger Observatory）和TA测量结果之间的不一致，在最高能量上也很明显，包括对Xmax分布的宽度和形状的研究。TAx4升级收集的额外数据，加上最近安装的fd的能量校准，将提高仪器的灵敏度，以解决我们对宇宙中最高能量粒子的理解中这些重要的开放性问题。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

The energy spectrum of cosmic rays measured by the Telescope Array using 10 years of fluorescence detector data

• DOI: 10.1016/j.astropartphys.2023.102864
• 发表时间: 2023-05
• 期刊: Astroparticle Physics
• 影响因子: 3.5
• 作者: R. Abbasi;T. Abu-Zayyad;M. Allen;Y. Arai;R. Arimura;E. Barcikowski;J. Belz;D. Bergman

First High‐Speed Video Camera Observations of a Lightning Flash Associated With a Downward Terrestrial Gamma‐Ray Flash

第一个高速摄像机观测到与向下的地面伽马射线闪光相关的闪电

• DOI: 10.1029/2023gl102958
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Geophysical Research Letters
• 影响因子: 5.2
• 作者: Abbasi, R. U.;Saba, M. M. F.;Belz, J. W.;Krehbiel, P. R.;Rison, W.;Kieu, N.;da Silva, D. R.;Stanley, M. A.;Rodeheffer, Dan;Remington, J.
• 通讯作者: Remington, J.