Decoding the composition of cosmic-rays in the transition region from 10^17 -10^18 eV with Tunka-Rex

使用 Tunka-Rex 解码 10^17 -10^18 eV 过渡区域中的宇宙射线成分

• 批准号: 279917242
• 负责人: Dr. Frank Schröder
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Institut für Astroteilchenphysik (IAP)
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2014-12-31 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/279917242?language=en
• 关键词: Decoding; composition; cosmic; rays; transition

One of the open mysteries in astroparticle physics is how nature accelerates atomic nuclei to energies of more than 10^20 eV. While cosmic rays at lower energies originate from inside our Milky Way, the highest energies most probably stem from the deeper universe. For energies around and above 10^17 eV the transition is expected. To find out at which energy and how the transition occurs, more accurate measurements of the cosmic-ray composition are needed.Currently, the techniques applied in this energy range are air-Cherenkov measurements and particle detection of air showers on ground. The first one limited to dark nights with good weather, the latter one suffers from uncertainties in interpreting the particle production in the atmosphere. An alternative technique operating 24/7 are radio measurements of air showers. Recent developments indicate that they can be competitive in precision, and maybe even better, when combined with the other techniques. Thus, the present proposal plans to combine simultaneous radio, air-Cherenkov, and particle measurements at the Tunka observatory close to Lake Baikal in Siberia.Since many years Moscow and Irkutsk State Universities perform air-shower measurements at this site. Since 2009 they operate an array of 133 photomultiplier detectors with 1 km² area named Tunka-133. Recently, an additional array of over- and underground scintillators was deployed for particle detection. In the next years, the site will emerge to one of the leading astroparticle physics centers in Russia by deploying additional detectors dedicated to gamma astronomy (TAIGA). Finally, the site features a digital radio array, Tunka-Rex (http://www.ikp.kit.edu/tunka-rex/), for which I am personally responsible.Tunka-Rex consists of meanwhile 44 antennas connected to the air-Cherenkov and scintillator arrays, and started data taking in 2012. The deployment and initial analyses were funded by a Helmholtz Russian Joint Research Group running until summer 2015, without possibility for reapplication - despite of its success. First, the already available data are valuable for analysis. Second, from now on continued hybrid measurements with the new scintillator array will exceed significantly the statistics of presently available measurements by Tunka-133 and other experiments.For this reason, the proposal requests funding of in total 433 kEUR for a period of three years, for one postdoc, one PhD student, and travels. At the beginning, the analysis will be performed with the already available Tunka-Rex events, and analysis methods will be optimized for a true hybrid analysis including the scintillators. Later, large statistics can be analyzed to reconstruct energy spectra for different mass groups in the transition region from galactic to extra-galactic cosmic rays. Interpreting the data and comparing them to theoretical predictions finally will reveal at which energy exactly and in which way extragalactic cosmic rays come into play.

天体粒子物理学中的未解之谜之一是大自然如何将原子核加速到超过 10^20 eV 的能量。虽然较低能量的宇宙射线源自银河系内部，但最高能量很可能来自更深的宇宙。对于 10^17 eV 左右及以上的能量，预计会发生转变。为了查明跃迁是在什么能量以及如何发生的，需要对宇宙射线成分进行更精确的测量。目前，在这个能量范围内应用的技术是空气切伦科夫测量和地面空气簇射的粒子探测。第一个仅限于天气好的黑夜，后者在解释大气中的颗粒产生时存在不确定性。另一种全天候（24/7）运行的替代技术是风淋室的无线电测量。最近的发展表明，当与其他技术结合时，它们在精度方面具有竞争力，甚至可能更好。因此，目前的提案计划在西伯利亚贝加尔湖附近的通卡天文台结合同步无线电、空气切伦科夫和粒子测量。多年来，莫斯科和伊尔库茨克州立大学都在这个地点进行空气淋浴测量。自 2009 年以来，他们运行着一个由 133 个光电倍增探测器组成的阵列，面积为 1 平方公里，名为 Tunka-133。最近，部署了额外的地上和地下闪烁体阵列用于粒子探测。未来几年，通过部署更多专用于伽马天文学的探测器（TAIGA），该站点将成为俄罗斯领先的天体粒子物理中心之一。最后，该站点设有一个数字无线电阵列 Tunka-Rex (http://www.ikp.kit.edu/tunka-rex/)，我个人对此负责。Tunka-Rex 同时由 44 个连接到空气切伦科夫和闪烁体阵列的天线组成，并于 2012 年开始数据采集。部署和初始分析由亥姆霍兹俄罗斯人资助 联合研究小组一直运行到 2015 年夏季，尽管取得了成功，但不可能重新申请。首先，现有的数据对于分析很有价值。其次，从现在开始，使用新型闪烁体阵列进行的持续混合测量将大大超过 Tunka-133 和其他实验目前可用测量的统计数据。因此，该提案要求在三年内为一名博士后、一名博士生和旅行提供总计 433 kEUR 的资金。一开始，分析将使用现有的 Tunka-Rex 事件进行，并且分析方法将针对包括闪烁体在内的真正混合分析进行优化。随后，可以分析大量统计数据，以重建从银河系到银河系外宇宙线过渡区域中不同质量组的能谱。解释这些数据并将其与理论预测进行比较，最终将揭示河外宇宙射线到底在何种能量以及以何种方式发挥作用。

项目成果

Present status and prospects of the Tunka Radio Extension

• DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/201921601005
• 发表时间: 2018-12
• 期刊: EPJ Web of Conferences
• 作者: D. Kostunin;P. Bezyazeekov;N. Budnev;D. Chernykh;O. Fedorov;O. Gress;A. Haungs;R. Hiller;T. Huege;Y. Kazarina;M. Kleifges;E. Korosteleva;L. Kuzmichev;V. Lenok;N. Lubsandorzhiev;T. Marshalkina;R. Monkhoev;E. Osipova;A. Pakhorukov;L. Pankov;V. Prosin;F. Schröder;F. Schröder;D. Shipilov;A. Zagorodnikov

Reconstruction of cosmic ray air showers with Tunka-Rex data using template fitting of radio pulses

• DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.97.122004
• 发表时间: 2018-03
• 期刊: Physical Review D
• 影响因子: 5
• 作者: P. Bezyazeekov;N. Budnev;D. Chernykh;O. Fedorov;O. Gress;A. Haungs;R. Hiller;T. Huege;Y. Kazarina;M. Kleifges;D. Kostunin;E. Korosteleva;L. Kuzmichev;V. Lenok;N. Lubsandorzhiev;T. Marshalkina;R. Mirgazov;R. Monkhoev;E. Osipova;A. Pakhorukov;L. Pankov;V. Prosin;F. Schröder;D. Shipilov;A. Zagorodnikov

Improved measurements of the energy and shower maximum of cosmic rays with Tunka-Rex

使用 Tunka-Rex 改进了对宇宙射线能量和簇射最大值的测量

• DOI: 10.22323/1.301.0400
• 发表时间: 2017
• 期刊: arXiv: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
• 作者: D. Kostunin - Tunka-Rex Collaboration