697 research outputs found
Propagation of UHECRs in cosmological backgrounds: some results from SimProp
Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Ray (UHECR) nuclei propagating in cosmological
radiation backgrounds produce secondary particles detectable at Earth. SimProp
is a one dimensional code for extragalactic propagation of UHECR nuclei,
inspired by the kinetic approach of Aloisio et al. As in this approach, only a
subset of nuclei and nuclear channels are used as representative. We discuss
the validation of the code and present applications to UHECR experimental
results. In particular we present the expected fluxes of neutrinos produced in
some astrophysical scenario.Comment: Poster presented by A. Di Matteo at the 33rd International Cosmic Ray
Conference, Rio De Janeiro (Brasil) July 2-9 201
Cosmogenic neutrinos and ultra-high energy cosmic ray models
We use an updated version of {\it SimProp}, a Monte Carlo simulation scheme
for the propagation of ultra-high energy cosmic rays, to compute cosmogenic
neutrino fluxes expected on Earth in various scenarios. These fluxes are
compared with the newly detected IceCube events at PeV energies and with recent
experimental limits at EeV energies of the Pierre Auger Observatory. This
comparison allows us to draw some interesting conclusions about the source
models for ultra-high energy cosmic rays. We will show how the available
experimental observations are almost at the level of constraining such models,
mainly in terms of the injected chemical composition and cosmological evolution
of sources. The results presented here will also be important in the evaluation
of the discovery capabilities of the future planned ultra-high energy cosmic
ray and neutrino observatories.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, some reference added, version accepted for
publication in JCA
Multiscale image analysis applied to gamma/hadron discrimination for VHE gamma-ray astronomy with ARGO-YBJ
Intrinsic differences in the processes involved in the development of
electromagnetic and hadronic showers in the atmosphere have been evidenced by
means of a careful analysis of the event image given by the ARGO-YBJ detector.
The images have been analyzed at different length scales and their multifractal
nature has been studied. The use of the multiscale approach together with a
properly designed and trained Artificial Neural Network, allowed us to obtain a
good gamma/hadron discrimination power. If confirmed by further studies on
different event cathegories, this result would allow to nearly double the
detector sensitivity to gamma ray sources.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, Presented at the "Incontro Nazionale di
Astrofisica delle Alte Energie", Rome 15-16 May 200
An Estimate of the Spectral Intensity Expected from the Molecular Bremsstrahlung Radiation in Extensive Air Showers
A detection technique of ultra-high energy cosmic rays, complementary to the
fluorescence technique, would be the use of the molecular Bremsstrahlung
radiation emitted by low-energy electrons left after the passage of the showers
in the atmosphere. The emission mechanism is expected from quasi-elastic
collisions of electrons produced in the shower by the ionisation of the
molecules in the atmosphere. In this article, a detailed calculation of the
spectral intensity of photons at ground level originating from the transitions
between unquantised energy states of free ionisation electrons is presented. In
the absence of absorption of the emitted photons in the plasma, the obtained
spectral intensity is shown to be 5 10^{-26} W m^{-2}Hz^{-1} at 10 km from the
shower core for a vertical shower induced by a proton of 10^{17.5} eV.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, accepted in Astroparticle Physics. Compared to
v1 version: 1. Inclusion of ro-vibrational processes. 2. Use of more accurate
ionization potential values and energy distribution of the secondary
electron
Detection of GRB signals with Fluorescence Detectors
Gamma Ray Bursts are being searched in many ground based experiments
detecting the high energy component (GeV TeV energy range) of the photon
bursts. In this paper, Fluorescence Detectors are considered as possible
candidate devices for these searches. It is shown that the GRB photons induce
fluorescence emission of UV photons on a wide range of their spectrum. The
induced fluorescence flux is dominated by GRB photons from 0.1 to about 100 MeV
and, once the extinction through the atmosphere is taken into account, it is
distributed over a wide angular region. This flux can be detected through a
monitor of the diffuse photon flux, provided that its maximum value exceeds a
threshold value, that is primarily determined by the sky brightness above the
detector. The feasibility of this search and the expected rates are discussed
on the basis of the current GRB observations and the existing fluorescence
detectors.Comment: 16 pages 9 eps figure
Fluorescence and Hybrid Detection Aperture of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The aperture of the Fluorescence Detector (FD) of the Pierre Auger
Observatory is evaluated from simulated events using different detector
configurations: mono, stereo, 3-FD and 4-FD. The trigger efficiency has been
modeled using shower profiles with ground impacts in the field of view of a
single telescope and studying the trigger response (at the different levels) by
that telescope and by its neighbours. In addition, analysis cuts imposed by
event reconstruction have been applied. The hybrid aperture is then derived for
the Auger final extension. Taking into account the actual Surface Detector (SD)
array configuration and its trigger response, the aperture is also calculated
for a typical configuration of the present phase.Comment: contribution to the 29th International Cosmic Ray Conference, Pune,
India, 3-10 August 200
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