199 research outputs found
Coherent Radiation from Extensive Air Showers in the Ultra-High Frequency Band
Using detailed Monte Carlo simulations we have characterized the features of
the radio emission of inclined air showers in the Ultra-High Frequency band
(300 MHz - 3 GHz). The Fourier-spectrum of the radiation is shown to have a
sizable intensity well into the GHz frequency range. The emission is mainly due
to transverse currents induced by the geomagnetic field and to the excess
charge produced by the Askaryan effect. At these frequencies only a
significantly reduced volume of the shower around the axis contributes
coherently to the signal observed on the ground. The size of the coherently
emitting volume depends on frequency, shower geometry and observer position,
and is interpreted in terms of the relative time delays. At ground level, the
maximum emission at high frequencies is concentrated in an elliptical ring-like
region around the intersection of a Cherenkov cone with its vertex at shower
maximum and the ground. The frequency spectrum of inclined showers when
observed at positions that view shower maximum in the Cherenkov direction, is
shown to be in broad agreement with the pulses detected by the Antarctic
Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) experiment, making the interpretation that
they are due to Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray atmospheric showers consistent
with our simulations. These results are also of great importance for
experiments aiming to detect molecular bremsstrahlung radiation in the GHz
range as they present an important background for its detection.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
Hunting long-lived gluinos at the Pierre Auger Observatory
Eventual signals of split sypersymmetry in cosmic ray physics are analyzed in
detail. The study focusses particularly on quasi-stable colorless R-hadrons
originating through confinement of long-lived gluinos (with quarks,
anti-quarks, and gluons) produced in pp collisions at astrophysical sources.
Because of parton density requirements, the gluino has a momentum which is
considerable smaller than the energy of the primary proton, and so production
of heavy (mass ~ 500 GeV) R-hadrons requires powerful cosmic ray engines able
to accelerate particles up to extreme energies, somewhat above 10^{13.6} GeV.
Using a realistic Monte Carlo simulation with the AIRES engine, we study the
main characteristics of the air showers triggered when one of these exotic
hadrons impinges on a stationary nucleon of the Earth atmosphere. We show that
R-hadron air showers present clear differences with respect to those initiated
by standard particles. We use this shower characteristics to construct
observables which may be used to distinguish long-lived gluinos at the Pierre
Auger Observatory.Comment: 13 pages revtex, 9 eps figures. A ps version with high resolution
figures is available at
http://www.hep.physics.neu.edu/staff/doqui/rhadron_highres.p
Search for microwave emission from ultrahigh energy cosmic rays
We present a search for microwave emission from air showers induced by
ultrahigh energy cosmic rays with the microwave detection of air showers
experiment. No events were found, ruling out a wide range of power flux and
coherence of the putative emission, including those suggested by recent
laboratory measurements.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
The MIDAS experiment: A prototype for the microwave emission of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays
Recent measurements suggest that extensive air showers initiated by
ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) emit signals in the microwave band of the
electromagnetic spectrum caused by the collisions of the free-electrons with
the atmospheric neutral molecules in the plasma produced by the passage of the
shower. Such emission is isotropic and could allow the detection of air showers
with 100% duty cycle and a calorimetric-like energy measurement, a significant
improvement over current detection techniques. We have built MIDAS (MIcrowave
Detection of Air Showers), a prototype of microwave detector, which consists of
a 4.5 m diameter antenna with a cluster of 53 feed-horns in the 4 GHz range.
The details of the prototype and first results will be presented.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of 12th Topical Seminar on Innovative
Particle and Radiation Detectors (IPRD10), Siena, Italy, 7 - 10 June 201
The Air Microwave Yield (AMY) experiment - A laboratory measurement of the microwave emission from extensive air showers
The AMY experiment aims to measure the microwave bremsstrahlung radiation
(MBR) emitted by air-showers secondary electrons accelerating in collisions
with neutral molecules of the atmosphere. The measurements are performed using
a beam of 510 MeV electrons at the Beam Test Facility (BTF) of Frascati INFN
National Laboratories. The goal of the AMY experiment is to measure in
laboratory conditions the yield and the spectrum of the GHz emission in the
frequency range between 1 and 20 GHz. The final purpose is to characterise the
process to be used in a next generation detectors of ultra-high energy cosmic
rays. A description of the experimental setup and the first results are
presented.Comment: 3 pages -- EPS-HEP'13 European Physical Society Conference on High
Energy Physics (July, 18-24, 2013) at Stockholm, Swede
The MIDAS telescope for microwave detection of ultra-high energy cosmic rays
We present the design, implementation and data taking performance of the
MIcrowave Detection of Air Showers (MIDAS) experiment, a large field of view
imaging telescope designed to detect microwave radiation from extensive air
showers induced by ultra-high energy cosmic rays. This novel technique may
bring a tenfold increase in detector duty cycle when compared to the standard
fluorescence technique based on detection of ultraviolet photons. The MIDAS
telescope consists of a 4.5 m diameter dish with a 53-pixel receiver camera,
instrumented with feed horns operating in the commercial extended C-Band (3.4
-- 4.2 GHz). A self-trigger capability is implemented in the digital
electronics. The main objectives of this first prototype of the MIDAS telescope
- to validate the telescope design, and to demonstrate a large detector duty
cycle - were successfully accomplished in a dedicated data taking run at the
University of Chicago campus prior to installation at the Pierre Auger
Observatory.Comment: 13 pages, 18 figure
Impact of radon and thoron levels on technosphere objects in the total urban environment
Thoron and radon exhalation from earth's crust is the most important source of atmospheric radioactive gases, along with its daughter products present in the soil is one of the major contributors to the external gamma dose in the atmosphere, since its distribution in the earth's crust is important for controlling the production of 220Rn and 222Rn. In this study trace amount of 232Th, 238U permeate almost all soils and rocks, in part due to the influence of buildings from which radioactive gas can emanate over geological time scales. Results obtained from this study indicate that the region has background radioactivity levels within the natural limits and a detailed discussion of the results is presented in the work
Precise Measurement of the Absolute Yield of Fluorescence Photons in Atmospheric Gases
We have performed a measurement of the absolute yield of fluorescence photons
at the Fermilab Test Beam. A systematic uncertainty at 5% level was achieved by
the use of Cherenkov radiation as a reference calibration light source. A
cross-check was performed by an independent calibration using a laser light
source. A significant improvement on the energy scale uncertainty of Ultra-High
Energy Cosmic Rays is expected.Comment: To appear in the Proceedings of CRIS 2010, Cosmic Ray International
Seminar -- 100 years of Cosmic Ray Physics: from pioneering experiments to
physics in space, Catania, Italy, 13-17 September 201
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