251 research outputs found
Cosmic ray propagation with CRPropa 3
Solving the question of the origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs)
requires the development of detailed simulation tools in order to interpret the
experimental data and draw conclusions on the UHECR universe. CRPropa is a
public Monte Carlo code for the galactic and extragalactic propagation of
cosmic ray nuclei above eV, as well as their photon and neutrino
secondaries. In this contribution the new algorithms and features of CRPropa 3,
the next major release, are presented. CRPropa 3 introduces time-dependent
scenarios to include cosmic evolution in the presence of cosmic ray deflections
in magnetic fields. The usage of high resolution magnetic fields is facilitated
by shared memory parallelism, modulated fields and fields with heterogeneous
resolution. Galactic propagation is enabled through the implementation of
galactic magnetic field models, as well as an efficient forward propagation
technique through transformation matrices. To make use of the large Python
ecosystem in astrophysics CRPropa 3 can be steered and extended in Python.Comment: 16th International workshop on Advanced Computing and Analysis
Techniques in physics research (ACAT 2014) proceedings, 6 pages, 6 figure
CRPropa 3.0 - a Public Framework for Propagating UHE Cosmic Rays through Galactic and Extragalactic Space
The interpretation of experimental data of ultra-high energy cosmic rays
(UHECRs) above 10^17 eV is still under controversial debate. The development
and improvement of numerical tools to propagate UHECRs in galactic and
extragalactic space is a crucial ingredient to interpret data and to draw
conclusions on astrophysical parameters. In this contribution the next major
release of the publicly available code CRPropa (3.0) is presented. It reflects
a complete redesign of the code structure to facilitate high performance
computing and comprises new physical features such as an interface for galactic
propagation using lensing techniques and inclusion of cosmological effects in a
three-dimensional environment. The performance is benchmarked and first
applications are presented.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Proceedings of the 33rd International Cosmic Ray
Conference (ICRC), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2-9 July 201
A field study of data analysis exercises in a bachelor physics course using the internet platform VISPA
Bachelor physics lectures on particle physics and astrophysics were
complemented by exercises related to data analysis and data interpretation at
the RWTH Aachen University recently. The students performed these exercises
using the internet platform VISPA, which provides a development environment for
physics data analyses. We describe the platform and its application within the
physics course, and present the results of a student survey. The students
acceptance of the learning project was positive. The level of acceptance was
related to their individual preference for learning with a computer.
Furthermore, students with good programming skills favor working individually,
while students who attribute themselves having low programming abilities favor
working in teams. The students appreciated approaching actual research through
the data analysis tasks.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, for the internet platform VISPA see
http://vispa.physik.rwth-aachen.d
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Integrating Life Cycle and Impact Assessments to Map Food's Cumulative Environmental Footprint
Producing food exerts pressures on the environment. Understanding the location and magnitude of food production is key to reducing the impacts of these pressures on nature and people. In this Perspective, Kuempel et al. outline an approach for integrating life cycle assessment and cumulative impact mapping data and methodologies to map the cumulative environmental pressure of food systems. The approach enables quantification of current and potential future environmental pressures, which are needed to reduce the net impact of feeding humanity. © 2020 The AuthorsFeeding a growing, increasingly affluent population while limiting environmental pressures of food production is a central challenge for society. Understanding the location and magnitude of food production is key to addressing this challenge because pressures vary substantially across food production types. Applying data and models from life cycle assessment with the methodologies for mapping cumulative environmental impacts of human activities (hereafter cumulative impact mapping) provides a powerful approach to spatially map the cumulative environmental pressure of food production in a way that is consistent and comprehensive across food types. However, these methodologies have yet to be combined. By synthesizing life cycle assessment and cumulative impact mapping methodologies, we provide guidance for comprehensively and cumulatively mapping the environmental pressures (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions, spatial occupancy, and freshwater use) associated with food production systems. This spatial approach enables quantification of current and potential future environmental pressures, which is needed for decision makers to create more sustainable food policies and practices. © 2020 The Author
Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory
A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding
eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers
with zenith angles greater than detected with the Pierre Auger
Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum
confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above
eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law with
index followed by
a smooth suppression region. For the energy () at which the
spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence
of suppression, we find
eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger
Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers.
These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of
the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray
energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30
to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of
the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is
determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated
using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due
to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components.
The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of
the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the
AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air
shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy
-- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy
estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the
surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator
scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent
emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for
the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at
least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
Measurement of the Radiation Energy in the Radio Signal of Extensive Air Showers as a Universal Estimator of Cosmic-Ray Energy
We measure the energy emitted by extensive air showers in the form of radio
emission in the frequency range from 30 to 80 MHz. Exploiting the accurate
energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we obtain a radiation energy of
15.8 \pm 0.7 (stat) \pm 6.7 (sys) MeV for cosmic rays with an energy of 1 EeV
arriving perpendicularly to a geomagnetic field of 0.24 G, scaling
quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy. A comparison with predictions from
state-of-the-art first-principle calculations shows agreement with our
measurement. The radiation energy provides direct access to the calorimetric
energy in the electromagnetic cascade of extensive air showers. Comparison with
our result thus allows the direct calibration of any cosmic-ray radio detector
against the well-established energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DOI.
Supplemental material in the ancillary file
Calibration of the Logarithmic-Periodic Dipole Antenna (LPDA) Radio Stations at the Pierre Auger Observatory using an Octocopter
An in-situ calibration of a logarithmic periodic dipole antenna with a
frequency coverage of 30 MHz to 80 MHz is performed. Such antennas are part of
a radio station system used for detection of cosmic ray induced air showers at
the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory, the so-called
Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA). The directional and frequency
characteristics of the broadband antenna are investigated using a remotely
piloted aircraft (RPA) carrying a small transmitting antenna. The antenna
sensitivity is described by the vector effective length relating the measured
voltage with the electric-field components perpendicular to the incoming signal
direction. The horizontal and meridional components are determined with an
overall uncertainty of 7.4^{+0.9}_{-0.3} % and 10.3^{+2.8}_{-1.7} %
respectively. The measurement is used to correct a simulated response of the
frequency and directional response of the antenna. In addition, the influence
of the ground conductivity and permittivity on the antenna response is
simulated. Both have a negligible influence given the ground conditions
measured at the detector site. The overall uncertainties of the vector
effective length components result in an uncertainty of 8.8^{+2.1}_{-1.3} % in
the square root of the energy fluence for incoming signal directions with
zenith angles smaller than 60{\deg}.Comment: Published version. Updated online abstract only. Manuscript is
unchanged with respect to v2. 39 pages, 15 figures, 2 table
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