423 research outputs found
Modeling crosstalk and afterpulsing in silicon photomultipliers
An experimental method to characterize the crosstalk and afterpulsing in silicon photomultipliers has been developed and applied to two detectors fabricated by Hamamatsu. An analytical model of optical crosstalk that we presented in a previous publication has been compared with new measurements, confirming our results. Progresses on a statistical model to describe afterpulsing and delayed crosstalk are also shown and compared with preliminary experimental data. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Search for isotropic Îł-radiation in the cosmological window between 65-tev and 200-tev
Electromagnetic energy injected into the universe above a few hundred TeV is expected to pile up as Îł radiation in a relatively narrow energy interval below 100 TeV due to its interaction with the 2.7°K background radiation. We present an upper limit (90% C.L.) on the ratio of primary Îł to charged cosmic rays in the energy interval 65-160 TeV (80- 200 TeV) of 10.3 . 10ÂŻÂł(7.8 . 10ÂŻÂł). Data from the HEGRA cosmic-ray detector complex consisting of a wide angle Cerenkov array (AIROBICC) measuring the lateral distribution of air Äerenkov light and a scintillator array, were used with a novel method to discriminate Îł-ray and hadron induced air showers. If the presently unmeasured universal far infrared background radiation is not too intense, the result rules out a topological-defect origin of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays for masses of the X particle released by the defects equal to or larger than about 10_(16) GeV
Influence of hadronic interaction models and the cosmic ray spectrum on the high energy atmospheric muon and neutrino flux
The recent observations of muon charge ratio up to about 10 TeV and of
atmospheric neutrinos up to energies of about 400 TeV has triggered a renewed
interest into the high-energy interaction models and cosmic ray primary
composition. A reviewed calculation of lepton spectra produced in cosmic-ray
induced extensive air showers is carried out with a primary cosmic-ray spectrum
that fits the latest direct measurements below the knee. In order to achieve
this, we used a full Monte Carlo method to derive the inclusive differential
spectra (yields) of muons, muon neutrinos and electron neutrinos at the surface
for energies between 80 GeV and hundreds of PeV. The air shower simulator {\sc
corsika} 6.990 was used for showering and propagation of the secondary
particles through the atmosphere, employing the established high-energy
hadronic interaction models {\sc sibyll} 2.1, {\sc qgsjet-01} and {\sc
qgsjet-ii 03}. We show that the performance of the interaction models allows
makes it possible to predict the spectra within experimental uncertainties,
while {\sc sibyll} generally yields a higher flux at the surface than the
qgsjet models. The calculation of the flavor and charge ratios has lead to
inconsistent results, mainly influenced by the different representations of the
K/ ratio within the models. Furthermore, we could quantify systematic
uncertainties of atmospheric muon- and neutrino fluxes, associated to the
models of the primary cosmic-ray spectrum and the interaction models. For most
recent parametrizations of the cosmic-ray primary spectrum, atmospheric muons
can be determined with an uncertainty smaller than % of the
average flux. Uncertainties of the muon- and electron neutrino fluxes can be
calculated within an average error of % and %,
respectively.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, version 2 includes analytic approximatio
Muons in air showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory: Mean number in highly inclined events
We present the first hybrid measurement of the average muon number in air showers at ultrahigh energies, initiated by cosmic rays with zenith angles between 62° and 80°. The measurement is based on 174 hybrid events recorded simultaneously with the surface detector array and the fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The muon number for each shower is derived by scaling a simulated reference profile of the lateral muon density distribution at the ground until it fits the data. A 10^19ââeV shower with a zenith angle of 67°, which arrives at the surface detector array at an altitude of 1450 m above sea level, contains on average (2.68±0.04±0.48(sys))Ă10^7 muons with energies larger than 0.3 GeV. The logarithmic gain d ln N_ÎŒ/dlnE of muons with increasing energy between 4Ă1018ââeV and 5Ă1019ââeV is measured to be (1.029±0.024±0.030(sys)
Description of Atmospheric Conditions at the Pierre Auger Observatory Using Meteorological Measurements and Models
Atmospheric conditions at the site of a cosmic ray observatory must be known
well for reconstructing observed extensive air showers, especially when
measured using the fluorescence technique. For the Pierre Auger Observatory, a
sophisticated network of atmospheric monitoring devices has been conceived.
Part of this monitoring was a weather balloon program to measure atmospheric
state variables above the Observatory. To use the data in reconstructions of
air showers, monthly models have been constructed. Scheduled balloon launches
were abandoned and replaced with launches triggered by high-energetic air
showers as part of a rapid monitoring system. Currently, the balloon launch
program is halted and atmospheric data from numerical weather prediction models
are used. A description of the balloon measurements, the monthly models as well
as the data from the numerical weather prediction are presented
The Central Laser Facility at the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Central Laser Facility is located near the middle of the Pierre Auger
Observatory in Argentina. It features a UV laser and optics that direct a beam
of calibrated pulsed light into the sky. Light scattered from this beam
produces tracks in the Auger optical detectors which normally record nitrogen
fluorescence tracks from cosmic ray air showers. The Central Laser Facility
provides a "test beam" to investigate properties of the atmosphere and the
fluorescence detectors. The laser can send light via optical fiber
simultaneously to the nearest surface detector tank for hybrid timing analyses.
We describe the facility and show some examples of its many uses.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to 29th ICRC Pune Indi
Atmospheric aerosols at the Pierre Auger Observatory and environmental implications
The Pierre Auger Observatory detects the highest energy cosmic rays.
Calorimetric measurements of extensive air showers induced by cosmic rays are
performed with a fluorescence detector. Thus, one of the main challenges is the
atmospheric monitoring, especially for aerosols in suspension in the
atmosphere. Several methods are described which have been developed to measure
the aerosol optical depth profile and aerosol phase function, using lasers and
other light sources as recorded by the fluorescence detector. The origin of
atmospheric aerosols traveling through the Auger site is also presented,
highlighting the effect of surrounding areas to atmospheric properties. In the
aim to extend the Pierre Auger Observatory to an atmospheric research platform,
a discussion about a collaborative project is presented.Comment: Regular Article, 16 pages, 12 figure
Measurement of Aerosols at the Pierre Auger Observatory
The air fluorescence detectors (FDs) of the Pierre Auger Observatory are
vital for the determination of the air shower energy scale. To compensate for
variations in atmospheric conditions that affect the energy measurement, the
Observatory operates an array of monitoring instruments to record hourly
atmospheric conditions across the detector site, an area exceeding 3,000 square
km. This paper presents results from four instruments used to characterize the
aerosol component of the atmosphere: the Central Laser Facility (CLF), which
provides the FDs with calibrated laser shots; the scanning backscatter lidars,
which operate at three FD sites; the Aerosol Phase Function monitors (APFs),
which measure the aerosol scattering cross section at two FD locations; and the
Horizontal Attenuation Monitor (HAM), which measures the wavelength dependence
of aerosol attenuation.Comment: Contribution to the 30th International Cosmic Ray Conference, Merida
Mexico, July 2007; 4 pages, 4 figure
Search for patterns by combining cosmic-ray energy and arrival directions at the Pierre Auger Observatory
Energy-dependent patterns in the arrival directions of cosmic rays are searched for using data of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We investigate local regions around the highest-energy cosmic rays with \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}\end{document}Eâ„6Ă1019 eV by analyzing cosmic rays with energies above \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}\end{document}Eâ„5Ă1018 eV arriving within an angular separation of approximately 15\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}\end{document}â. We characterize the energy distributions inside these regions by two independent methods, one searching for angular dependence of energy-energy correlations and one searching for collimation of energy along the local system of principal axes of the energy distribution. No significant patterns are found with this analysis. The comparison of these measurements with astrophysical scenarios can therefore be used to obtain constraints on related model parameters such as strength of cosmic-ray deflection and density of point sources
Measurement of the Depth of Maximum of Extensive Air Showers above 10^18 eV
We describe the measurement of the depth of maximum, Xmax, of the
longitudinal development of air showers induced by cosmic rays. Almost four
thousand events above 10^18 eV observed by the fluorescence detector of the
Pierre Auger Observatory in coincidence with at least one surface detector
station are selected for the analysis. The average shower maximum was found to
evolve with energy at a rate of (106 +35/-21) g/cm^2/decade below 10^(18.24 +/-
0.05) eV and (24 +/- 3) g/cm^2/decade above this energy. The measured
shower-to-shower fluctuations decrease from about 55 to 26 g/cm^2. The
interpretation of these results in terms of the cosmic ray mass composition is
briefly discussed.Comment: Accepted for publication by PR
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