NICHE: The Non-Imaging CHErenkov Array

The accurate measurement of the Cosmic Ray (CR) nuclear composition around and above the Knee (~ 10^15.5 eV) has been difficult due to uncertainties inherent to the measurement techniques and/or dependence on hadronic Monte Carlo simulation models required to interpret the data. Measurement of the Cherenkov air shower signal, calibrated with air fluorescence measurements, offers a methodology to provide an accurate measurement of the nuclear composition evolution over a large energy range. NICHE will use an array of widely-spaced, non-imaging Cherenkov counters to measure the amplitude and time-spread of the air shower Cherenkov signal to extract CR nuclear composition measurements and to cross-calibrate the Cherenkov energy and composition measurements with TA/TALE fluorescence and surface detector measurements.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, to be published in the Proceedings of the Centenary Symposium 2012:Discovery of Cosmic Rays (University of Denver, June 26-28, 2012), AIP Conference Proceedings, Editor Jonathan F. Ormes, in Pres

The Potential of Spaced-based High-Energy Neutrino Measurements via the Airshower Cherenkov Signal

Future space-based experiments, such as OWL and JEM-EUSO, view large atmospheric and terrestrial neutrino targets. With energy thresholds slightly above 10^19 eV for observing airshowers via air fluorescence, the potential for observing the cosmogenic neutrino flux associated with the GZK effect is limited. However, the forward Cherenkov signal associated with the airshower can be observed at much lower energies. A simulation was developed to determine the Cherenkov signal strength and spatial extent at low-Earth orbit for upward-moving airshowers. A model of tau neutrino interactions in the Earth was employed to determine the event rate of interactions that yielded a tau lepton which would induce an upward-moving airshower observable by a space-based instrument. The effect of neutrino attenuation by the Earth forces the viewing of the Earth's limb to observe the nu_tau-induced Cherenkov airshower signal at above the OWL Cherenkov energy threshold of ~10^16.5 eV for limb-viewed events. Furthermore, the neutrino attenuation limits the effective terrestrial neutrino target area to ~3x10^5 km^2 at 10^17 eV, for an orbit of 1000 km and an instrumental full Field-of-View of 45 degrees. This translates into an observable cosmogenic neutrino event rate of ~1/year based upon two different models of the cosmogenic neutrino flux, assuming neutrino oscillations and a 10% duty cycle for observation.Comment: Contribution to the 32nd ICRC, Beijing, China, August 2011; Paper#1331, 4 pages, 4 figure

Formation flying for a Fresnel lens observatory mission

The employment of a large area Phase Fresnel Lens (PFL) in a gamma-ray telescope offers the potential to image astrophysical phenomena with micro-arcsecond angular resolution. In order to assess the feasibility of this concept, two detailed studies have been conducted of formation flying missions in which a Fresnel lens capable of focussing gamma-rays and the associated detector are carried on two spacecraft separated by up to 10$^6$ km. These studies were performed at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Integrated Mission Design Center (IMDC) which developed spacecraft, orbital dynamics, and mission profiles. The results of the studies indicated that the missions are challenging but could be accomplished with technologies available currently or in the near term. The findings of the original studies have been updated taking account of recent advances in ion thruster propulsion technology.Comment: Presented at GammaWave05: "Focusing Telescopes in Nuclear Astrophysics", Bonifacio, Corsica, September 2005, to be published in Experimental Astronomy, 7 page

The CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET): A High-Energy Astroparticle Physics Observatory on the International Space Station

The CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET): a High-Energy Astroparticle Physics Observatory on the International Space Statio

A Comparison between High-Energy Radiation Background Models and SPENVIS Trapped-Particle Radiation Models

We have been assessing the effects of background radiation in low-Earth orbit for the next generation of X-ray and Cosmic-ray experiments, in particular for International Space Station orbit. Outside the areas of high fluxes of trapped radiation, we have been using parameterizations developed by the Fermi team to quantify the high-energy induced background. For the low-energy background, we have been using the AE8 and AP8 SPENVIS models to determine the orbit fractions where the fluxes of trapped particles are too high to allow for useful operation of the experiment. One area we are investigating is how the fluxes of SPENVIS predictions at higher energies match the fluxes at the low-energy end of our parameterizations. I will summarize our methodology for background determination from the various sources of cosmogenic and terrestrial radiation and how these compare to SPENVIS predictions in overlapping energy ranges

Simulation Studies of Delta-ray Backgrounds in a Compton-Scatter Transition Radiation Detector

In order to evaluate the response to cosmic-ray nuclei of a Compton-Scatter Transition Radiation Detector in the proposed ACCESS space-based mission, a hybrid Monte Carlo simulation using GEANT3 and an external transition radiation (TR) generator routine was constructed. This simulation was employed to study the effects of delta-ray production induced by high-energy nuclei and to maximize the ratio of TR to delta-ray background. The results demonstrate the ability of a Compton-Scatter Transition Radiation Detector to measure nuclei from boron to iron up to Lorentz factors ~ 10^5 taking into account the steeply falling power-law cosmic ray spectra.Comment: Presented at TRDs for the 3rd millennium: Third Workshop on advanced Transition Radiation Detectors for accelerator and space applications, Ostuni, Italy, September 2005, 4 pages, 2 figure

POEMMA - Probe of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics: CRs and Neutrinos

Developed as a NASA Astrophysics Probe mission concept study, the Probe Of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (POEMMA) science goals are to identify the sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) and to observe cosmic neutrinos above 10 PeV. POEMMA consists of two satellites flying in loose formation at 525 km altitudes. A novel focal plane design is optimized to observe the UV air fluorescence signal in a stereoscopic UHECR observation mode and the Cherenkov signals from air showers from UHECRs and neutrino-induced tauleptons in an Earth-limb viewing mode. POEMMA is designed to achieve full-sky coverage and significantly higher sensitivity to the highest energy cosmic messengers compared to what have been achieved so far by ground-based experiments. POEMMA will measure the spectrum, composition, and full sky distribution of the UHECRs above 10 EeV to identify the most energetic cosmic accelerators in the universe and study the acceleration mechanism(s). POEMMA will also have high sensitivity to cosmogenic neutrinos by observing the upward-moving air showers induced from tau neutrino interactions in the Earth. POEMMA will also be able to re-orient to a Target-of-Opportunity (ToO) neutrino mode to view transient astrophysical sources. In this talk, the science goals, instrument design, launch and mission profile, and simulated UHECR and neutrino measurement capabilities for POEMMA will be presented