A Major Upgrade of the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory

一项重大升级正在进行中，以提高占地3000平方公里的皮埃尔·奥格天文台在寻找最高能量宇宙射线的起源方面的灵敏度。宇宙射线是宇宙中已知的最高能量粒子。在此之前，一项出人意料的俄歇结果表明，这些宇宙射线中有相当大一部分是重原子核。该项目有助于升级，预计将显著提高天文台识别传入宇宙射线的质量和电荷的能力，从而能够确定受宇宙磁场影响较小的低电荷粒子的天体物理源方向。该项目还将有助于理解能量远远超过大型强子对撞机探索的能量的粒子相互作用。

A major upgrade is under-way to enhance the sensitivity of the 3000 square kilometre Pierre Auger Observatory in its search for the origin of the highest energy cosmic rays, the most energetic particles known in the Universe. This follows an unexpected Auger result that indicates a significant fraction of these cosmic rays are heavy nuclei. This project, assisting the upgrade, is expected to significantly improve the observatory's ability to identify the mass, and hence the electric charge, of the incoming cosmic rays, allowing astrophysical source directions to be identified for the low charge particles less affected by cosmic magnetic fields. The project will also contribute to the understanding of particle interactions at energies well beyond those explored at the Large Hadron Collider.