International Postdoctoral Fellows Program: Study of Characteristics of Air-Showers Induced by Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays Associated with Astrophysical Point-Sources

该奖项是根据国际博士后研究员计划颁发的，该计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在外国公认的卓越中心进行为期3至12个月的研究。该项目的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，并提供了使用国外独特或互补的设施、专业知识和实验条件的机会。该奖项将支持加州大学欧文分校的史蒂文·D·比勒博士与利兹大学的艾伦·A·沃森教授合作进行为期12个月的博士后研究访问。他们计划研究与超高能(UHE)宇宙线相互作用相关的特征和探测技术。这项研究将直接应用于正在设计的下一代宇宙线探测器，以从成分、初级能谱、和潜在的天体物理辐射点源。通过在利兹大学做这个项目，比勒博士将获得以下信息：(1)来自四个不同实验的数据，在探测到的粒子能量方面跨越了70年(即哈弗拉公园阵列--以前位于利兹；GREX--位于利兹；惠普尔·切伦科夫望远镜--位于亚利桑那州；以及SPASE--位于南极)，(2)两个数据集，其中包含已报告的点源探测(哈维拉公园--天鹅座X-3；惠普尔-蟹状星云、马卡里安421和大力神X-1；(3)空气-阵雨相互作用的计算机模拟方面的专业知识(迈克尔·希拉斯)。奖励建议提供资金，用于支付国际旅行、12个月津贴、国内旅行、超重行李津贴和他所在大学的行政费用。

This award is under the International Postdoctoral Fellows Program, which enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twelve months of research at foreign centers of proven excellence. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad. This award will support a twelve-month postdoctoral research visit by Dr. Steven D. Biller of the University of California, Irvine to work with Professor Alan A. Watson at the University of Leeds. They plan on examining characteristics and detection techniques associated with ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic ray interactions. This study will have direct application to the next generation of cosmic ray detectors being designed to examine UHE radiation in terms of composition, primary energy spectrum, and potential point-sources of astrophysical emission. By doing this project at the University of Leeds, Dr. Biller will have access to the following: (1) data from four different experiments, spanning over seven decades in detected particle energies (i.e. the Haverah Park Array - formerly located at Leeds; GREX - located at Leeds; the Whipple Cerenkov Telescope - located in Arizona; and SPASE - located at the South Pole), (2) two data sets containing reported detections of point-sources (Haverah Park - Cygnus X-3; Whipple - Crab Nebula, Markarian 421, and Hercules X-1; (3) expertise in computer modeling of air-shower interactions (Michael Hillas). The award recommendation provides funds to cover international travel, a stipend for twelve months, in-country travel, an excess baggage allowance and administrative costs to his university.