Limit on UHE Neutrino Flux from the Parkes Lunar Radio Cherenkov Experiment

The first search for ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrinos using a radio telescope was conducted by Hankins, Ekers and O'Sullivan (1996). This was a search for nanosecond duration radio Cherenkov pulses from electromagnetic cascades initiated by ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrino interactions in the lunar regolith, and was made using a broad-bandwidth receiver fitted to the Parkes radio telescope, Australia. At the time, no simulations were available to convert the null result into a neutrino flux limit. Since then, similar experiments at Goldstone, USA, and Kalyazin, Russia, have also recorded null results, and computer simulations have been used to model the experimental sensitivities of these two experiments and put useful limits on the UHE neutrino flux. Proposed future experiments include the use of broad-bandwidth receivers, making the sensitivity achieved by the Parkes experiment highly relevant to the future prospects of this field. We have therefore calculated the effective aperture for the Parkes experiment and found that when pointing at the lunar limb, the effective aperture at all neutrino energies was superior to single-antenna, narrow-bandwidth experiments, and that the detection threshold was comparable to that of the double-antenna experiment at Goldstone. However, because only a small fraction of the observing time was spent pointing the limb, the Parkes experiment places only comparatively weak limits on the UHE neutrino flux. Future efforts should use multiple telescopes and broad-bandwidth receivers.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

LUNASKA experiments using the Australia Telescope Compact Array to search for ultra-high energy neutrinos and develop technology for the lunar Cherenkov technique

We describe the design, performance, sensitivity and results of our recent experiments using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) for lunar Cherenkov observations with a very wide (600 MHz) bandwidth and nanosecond timing, including a limit on an isotropic neutrino flux. We also make a first estimate of the effects of small-scale surface roughness on the effective experimental aperture, finding that contrary to expectations, such roughness will act to increase the detectability of near-surface events over the neutrino energy-range at which our experiment is most sensitive (though distortions to the time-domain pulse profile may make identification more difficult). The aim of our "Lunar UHE Neutrino Astrophysics using the Square Kilometer Array" (LUNASKA) project is to develop the lunar Cherenkov technique of using terrestrial radio telescope arrays for ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic ray (CR) and neutrino detection, and in particular to prepare for using the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) and its path-finders such as the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) and the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) for lunar Cherenkov experiments.Comment: 27 pages, 18 figures, 4 tables

LUNASKA Experiment Observational Limits on UHE Neutrinos from Centaurus A and the Galactic Center

We present the first observational limits to the ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrino flux from the Galactic Center, and from Centaurus A which is the nearest active galactic nucleus (AGN). These results are based on our "Lunar UHE Neutrino Astrophysics using the Square Kilometer Array" (LUNASKA) project experiments at the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). We also derive limits for the previous experiments and compare these limits with expectations for acceleration and super-heavy dark matter models of the origin of UHE cosmic rays.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, additional experimental details and references given, limits now calculated also for NuMoon, uncertainties in calculation of LUNASKA limits now discussed, figures updated. Accepted for publication in MNRAS on 5 August 201

Tissue tolerance: an essential but elusive trait for salt-tolerant crops

For a plant to persist in saline soil, osmotic adjustment of all plant cells is essential. The more salt-tolerant species accumulate Na+ and Cl– to concentrations in leaves and roots that are similar to the external solution, thus allowing energy-efficient osmotic adjustment. Adverse effects of Na+ and Cl– on metabolism must be avoided, resulting in a situation known as ‘tissue tolerance’. The strategy of sequestering Na+ and Cl– in vacuoles and keeping concentrations low in the cytoplasm is an important contributor to tissue tolerance. Although there are clear differences between species in the ability to accommodate these ions in their leaves, it remains unknown whether there is genetic variation in this ability within a species. This viewpoint considers the concept of tissue tolerance, and how to measure it. Four conclusions are drawn: (1) osmotic adjustment is inseparable from the trait of tissue tolerance; (2) energy-efficient osmotic adjustment should involve ions and only minimal organic solutes; (3) screening methods should focus on measuring tolerance, not injury; and (4) high-throughput protocols that avoid the need for control plants and multiple Na+ or Cl- measurements should be developed. We present guidelines to identify useful genetic variation in tissue tolerance that can be harnessed for plant breeding of salt tolerance

Peatland Initiation, Carbon Accumulation, and 2 ka Depth in the James Bay Lowland and Adjacent Regions

Copyright © 2014 University of Colorado at Boulder, Institute of Arctic and Alpine ResearchPeatlands surrounding Hudson and James Bays form the second largest peatland complex in the world and contain major stores of soil carbon (C). This study utilized a transect of eight ombrotrophic peat cores from remote regions of central and northern Ontario to quantify the magnitude and rate of C accumulation since peatland initiation and for the past 2000 calendar years before present (2 ka). These new data were supplemented by 17 millennially resolved chronologies from a literature review covering the Boreal Shield, Hudson Plains, and Taiga Shield bordering Hudson and James Bays. Peatlands initiated in central and northern Ontario by 7.8 ka following deglaciation and isostatic emergence of northern areas to above sea level. Total C accumulated since inception averaged 109.7 ± (std. dev.) 36.2 kg C m–2. Approximately 40% of total soil C has accumulated since 2 ka at an average apparent rate of 20.2 ± 6.9 g C m–2 yr–1. The 2 ka depths correlate significantly and positively with modern gridded climate estimates for mean annual precipitation, mean annual air temperature, growing degree-days > 0 °C, and photosynthetically active radiation integrated over days > 0 °C. There are significantly shallower depths in permafrost peatlands. Vertical peat accumulation was likely constrained by temperature, growing season length, and photosynthetically active radiation over the last 2 ka in the Hudson Bay Lowlands and surrounding regions.US National Science Foundatio

Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above 4×10184{\times}10^{18} eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory

A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding $4{\times}10^{18}$ eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers with zenith angles greater than $60^{\circ}$ 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 $5.3{\times}10^{18}$ eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law $E^{-\gamma}$ with index $\gamma=2.70 \pm 0.02 \,\text{(stat)} \pm 0.1\,\text{(sys)}$ followed by a smooth suppression region. For the energy ($E_\text{s}$) at which the spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence of suppression, we find $E_\text{s}=(5.12\pm0.25\,\text{(stat)}^{+1.0}_{-1.2}\,\text{(sys)}){\times}10^{19}$ 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