Atmospheric Calorimetry above 1019^{19} eV: Shooting Lasers at the Pierre Auger Cosmic-Ray Observatory

The Pierre Auger Cosmic-Ray Observatory uses the earth's atmosphere as a calorimeter to measure extensive air-showers created by particles of astrophysical origin. Some of these particles carry joules of energy. At these extreme energies, test beams are not available in the conventional sense. Yet understanding the energy response of the observatory is important. For example, the propagation distance of the highest energy cosmic-rays through the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) is predicted to be strong function of energy. This paper will discuss recently reported results from the observatory and the use of calibrated pulsed UV laser "test-beams" that simulate the optical signatures of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. The status of the much larger 200,000 km$^3$ companion detector planned for the northern hemisphere will also be outlined.Comment: 6 pages, 11 figures XIII International Conference on Calorimetry in High Energy Physic

A Window On The Earliest Star Formation: Extreme Photoionization Conditions of a High-Ionization, Low-Metallicity Lensed Galaxy at z~2

We report new observations of SL2SJ021737-051329, a lens system consisting of a bright arc at z=1.84435, magnified ~17x by a massive galaxy at z=0.65. SL2SJ0217 is a low-mass (M <10^9 M*), low-metallicity (Z~1/20 Z*) galaxy, with extreme star-forming conditions that produce strong nebular UV emission lines in the absence of any apparent outflows. Here we present several notable features from rest-frame UV Keck/LRIS spectroscopy: (1) Very strong narrow emission lines are measured for CIV 1548,1550, HeII 1640, OIII] 1661,1666, SiIII] 1883,1892, and CIII] 1907,1909. (2) Double-peaked LyA emission is observed with a dominant blue peak and centered near the systemic velocity. (3) The low- and high-ionization absorption features indicate very little or no outflowing gas along the sightline to the lensed galaxy. The relative emission line strengths can be reproduced with a very high-ionization, low-metallicity starburst with binaries, with the exception of He \ii, which indicates an additional ionization source is needed. We rule out large contributions from AGN and shocks to the photoionization budget, suggesting that the emission features requiring the hardest radiation field likely result from extreme stellar populations that are beyond the capabilities of current models. Therefore, SL2S0217 serves as a template for the extreme conditions that are important for reionization and thought to be more common in the early Universe.Comment: 28 pages, 16 figures, 8 tables, re-submitted to ApJ, comments welcom

A Three-Point Cosmic Ray Anisotropy Method

The two-point angular correlation function is a traditional method used to search for deviations from expectations of isotropy. In this paper we develop and explore a statistically descriptive three-point method with the intended application being the search for deviations from isotropy in the highest energy cosmic rays. We compare the sensitivity of a two-point method and a "shape-strength" method for a variety of Monte-Carlo simulated anisotropic signals. Studies are done with anisotropic source signals diluted by an isotropic background. Type I and II errors for rejecting the hypothesis of isotropic cosmic ray arrival directions are evaluated for four different event sample sizes: 27, 40, 60 and 80 events, consistent with near term data expectations from the Pierre Auger Observatory. In all cases the ability to reject the isotropic hypothesis improves with event size and with the fraction of anisotropic signal. While ~40 event data sets should be sufficient for reliable identification of anisotropy in cases of rather extreme (highly anisotropic) data, much larger data sets are suggested for reliable identification of more subtle anisotropies. The shape-strength method consistently performs better than the two point method and can be easily adapted to an arbitrary experimental exposure on the celestial sphere.Comment: Fixed PDF erro

Educational studies of cosmic rays with telescope of Geiger-Muller counters

A group of high school students (XII Liceum) in the framework of the Roland Maze Project has built a compact telescope of three Geiger-Muller counters. The connection between the telescope and PC computer was also created and programed by students involved in the Project. This has allowed students to use their equipment to perform serious scientific measurements concerning the single cosmic ray muon flux at ground level and below. These measurements were then analyzed with the programs based on the 'nowadays' knowledge on statistics. An overview of the apparatus, methods and results were presented at several students conferences and recently won the first prize in a national competition of high school students scientific work. The telescope itself, in spite of its 'scientific' purposes, is built in such a way that it is hung on a wall in a school physics lab and counts muons continuously. This can help to raise the interest for studying physics among others. At present a few (3) groups of young participants of the Roland Maze Project have already built their own telescopes for their schools and some others are working on it. This work is a perfect example of what can be done by young people when respective opportunities are created by more experienced researchers and a little help and advice is given.Comment: 5 figures, 10 page

Lens Galaxy Properties of SBS1520+530: Insights from Keck Spectroscopy and AO Imaging

We report on an investigation of the SBS 1520+530 gravitational lens system and its environment using archival HST imaging, Keck spectroscopic data, and Keck adaptive-optics imaging. The AO imaging has allowed us to fix the lens galaxy properties with a high degree of precision when performing the lens modeling, and the data indicate that the lens has an elliptical morphology and perhaps a disk. The new spectroscopic data suggest that previous determinations of the lens redshift may be incorrect, and we report an updated, though inconclusive, value z_lens = 0.761. We have also spectroscopically confirmed the existence of several galaxy groups at approximately the redshift of the lens system. We create new models of the lens system that explicitly account for the environment of the lens, and we also include improved constraints on the lensing galaxy from our adaptive-optics imaging. Lens models created with these new data can be well-fit with a steeper than isothermal mass slope (alpha = 2.29, with the density proportional to r^-alpha) if H_0 is fixed at 72 km/s/Mpc; isothermal models require H_0 ~ 50 km/s/Mpc. The steepened profile may indicate that the lens is in a transient perturbed state caused by interactions with a nearby galaxy.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Ap

TeV gamma-UHECR anisotropy by decaying nuclei in flight: first neutrino traces?

Ultra High Cosmic Rays) made by He-like lightest nuclei might solve the AUGER extragalactic clustering along Cen A. Moreover He like UHECR nuclei cannot arrive from Virgo because the light nuclei fragility and opacity above a few Mpc, explaining the Virgo UHECR absence. UHECR signals are spreading along Cen-A as observed because horizontal galactic arms magnetic fields, bending them on vertical angles. Cen A events by He-like nuclei are deflected as much as the observed clustered ones; proton will be more collimated while heavy (iron) nuclei are too much dispersed. Such a light nuclei UHECR component coexist with the other Auger heavy nuclei and with the Hires nucleon composition. Remaining UHECR spread group may hint for correlations with other gamma (MeV-Al^{26} radioactive) maps, mainly due to galactic SNR sources as Vela pulsar, the brightest, nearest GeV source. Other nearest galactic gamma sources show links with UHECR via TeV correlated maps. We suggest that UHECR are also heavy radioactive galactic nuclei as Ni^{56}, Ni^{57} and Co^{60} widely bent by galactic fields. UHECR radioactivity (in $\beta$ and $\gamma$ channels) and decay in flight at hundreds keV is boosted (by huge Lorentz factor (nearly a billion) leading to PeVs electrons and consequent synchrotron TeVs gamma offering UHECR-TeV correlated sky anisotropy. Moreover also rarest and non-atmospheric electron and tau neutrinos secondaries at PeVs, as the first two rarest shower just discovered in ICECUBE, maybe the first signature of such expected radioactive secondary tail.Comment: 7 pages,3 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1201.015

Origin of atmospheric aerosols at the Pierre Auger Observatory using backward trajectory of air masses

The Pierre Auger Observatory is the largest operating cosmic ray observatory ever built. Calorimetric measurements of extensive air showers induced by cosmic rays are performed with a fluorescence detector. Thus, one of the main challenges is the monitoring of the atmosphere, both in terms of atmospheric state variables and optical properties. To better understand the atmospheric conditions, a study of air mass trajectories above the site is presented. Such a study has been done using an air-modelling program well known in atmospheric sciences. Its validity has been checked using meteorological radiosonde soundings performed at the Pierre Auger Observatory. Finally, aerosol concentration values measured by the Central Laser Facility are compared to backward trajectories.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures -- ECRS'12 European Cosmic Ray Symposium (July, 3-7, 2012) at Moscow, Russi

Assessment of left atrial volume before and after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

BackgroundImpaired left ventricular diastolic filling is common in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), and recent studies support left ventricular underfilling as a cause. To investigate this further, we assessed left atrial volume index (LAVI) in patients with CTEPH before and after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE).MethodsForty-eight consecutive CTEPH patients had pre- &amp; post-PTE echocardiograms and right heart catheterizations. Parameters included mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), cardiac index, LAVI, &amp; mitral E/A ratio. Echocardiograms were performed 6 ± 3 days pre-PTE and 10 ± 4 days post-PTE. Regression analyses compared pre- and post-PTE LAVI with other parameters.ResultsPre-op LAVI (mean 19.0 ± 7 mL/m2) correlated significantly with pre-op PVR (R = -0.45, p = 0.001), mPAP (R = -0.28, p = 0.05) and cardiac index (R = 0.38, p = 0.006). Post-PTE, LAVI increased by 18% to 22.4 ± 7 mL/m2 (p = 0.003). This change correlated with change in PVR (765 to 311 dyne-s/cm5, p = 0.01), cardiac index (2.6 to 3.2 L/min/m2, p = 0.02), and E/A (.95 to 1.44, p = 0.002).ConclusionIn CTEPH, smaller LAVI is associated with lower cardiac output, higher mPAP, and higher PVR. LAVI increases by ~20% after PTE, and this change correlates with changes in PVR and mitral E/A. The rapid increase in LAVI supports the concept that left ventricular diastolic impairment and low E/A pre-PTE are due to left heart underfilling rather than inherent left ventricular diastolic dysfunction

Search for ultrahigh energy neutrinos in highly inclined events at the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Surface Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory is sensitive to neutrinos of all flavors above 0.1 EeV. These interact through charged and neutral currents in the atmosphere giving rise to extensive air showers. When interacting deeply in the atmosphere at nearly horizontal incidence, neutrinos can be distinguished from regular hadronic cosmic rays by the broad time structure of their shower signals in the water-Cherenkov detectors. In this paper we present for the first time an analysis based on down-going neutrinos. We describe the search procedure, the possible sources of background, the method to compute the exposure and the associated systematic uncertainties. No candidate neutrinos have been found in data collected from 1 January 2004 to 31 May 2010. Assuming an E-2 differential energy spectrum the limit on the single-flavor neutrino is E2dN=dE-7GeVcm-2s-1sr-1 at 90% C.L. in the energy range 1 X 1017eV\u3c E 1020eV