The Pierre Auger Observatory Operating Funds Request

宇宙射线是来自太空的高能亚原子粒子，以接近光速的速度传播。超高能宇宙射线的起源和加速机制目前尚不清楚，这种射线可能来自我们银河系外的极端天体物理现象。皮埃尔·奥格尔天文台是有史以来运行的最大的宇宙线探测器，仪器面积超过3000平方公里。皮埃尔·奥格尔天文台由国际合作在阿根廷的马拉格建造，旨在研究宇宙中最高能量粒子的起源和相互作用。天文台自2008年开始运作。这项奖励为继续运营提供部分资金。天文台将继续作为培训学生和博士后的重要场所，并将通过其游客中心促进公众宣传倡议。通过采用便于可视化和分析的新工具，将扩大世界各地学校项目在线数据的公开发布。皮埃尔·奥格尔天文台测量超高能宇宙射线的能谱、成分和到达方向。已经探测到超过10万次能量超过3x10^18 eV的事件。在这个奖项的过程中，更多的测量、升级的探测器、更大的统计数据和改进的数据分析方法将进一步促进我们对宇宙线物理学的理解。

Cosmic rays are highly energetic sub-atomic particles from space that travel at velocities near the speed of light. The origin and acceleration mechanism for ultra-high energy cosmic rays, which likely come from extreme astrophysical phenomena outside our galaxy, are currently unknown. The Pierre Auger Observatory is the largest cosmic ray detector ever operated, with an instrumented area of more than 3000 square kilometers. Built in Malargue, Argentina by an international collaboration, the Pierre Auger Observatory was designed to study the origin and interactions of the highest energy particles in the Universe. The Observatory has been operating since 2008. This award provides partial funding for continued operations. The Observatory will continue to be an important venue for the training of students and postdocs and will promote public outreach initiatives through its Visitor Center. The public release of online data for school projects around the world will be expanded by implementing new tools for easy visualization and analysis. The Pierre Auger Observatory measures the energy spectrum, composition, and arrival direction of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. More than 100,000 events have been detected with energies above 3x10^18 eV. Over the course of this award, additional measurements, upgraded detectors, larger statistics, and improved data analysis methods will further advance our understanding of cosmic ray physics.