4,565 research outputs found
Time-Domain Measurement of Broadband Coherent Cherenkov Radiation
We report on further analysis of coherent microwave Cherenkov impulses
emitted via the Askaryan mechanism from high-energy electromagnetic showers
produced at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). In this report, the
time-domain based analysis of the measurements made with a broadband (nominally
1-18 GHz) log periodic dipole array antenna is described. The theory of a
transmit-receive antenna system based on time-dependent effective height
operator is summarized and applied to fully characterize the measurement
antenna system and to reconstruct the electric field induced via the Askaryan
process. The observed radiation intensity and phase as functions of frequency
were found to agree with expectations from 0.75-11.5 GHz within experimental
errors on the normalized electric field magnitude and the relative phase; 0.039
microV/MHz/TeV and 17 deg, respectively. This is the first time this agreement
has been observed over such a broad bandwidth, and the first measurement of the
relative phase variation of an Askaryan pulse. The importance of validation of
the Askaryan mechanism is significant since it is viewed as the most promising
way to detect cosmogenic neutrino fluxes at E > 10^15 eV.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev.
Picosecond timing of Microwave Cherenkov Impulses from High-Energy Particle Showers Using Dielectric-loaded Waveguides
We report on the first measurements of coherent microwave impulses from
high-energy particle-induced electromagnetic showers generated via the Askaryan
effect in a dielectric-loaded waveguide. Bunches of 12.16 GeV electrons with
total bunch energy of GeV were pre-showered in tungsten, and
then measured with WR-51 rectangular (12.6 mm by 6.3 mm) waveguide elements
loaded with solid alumina () bars. In the 5-8 GHz
single-mode band determined by the presence of the dielectric in the waveguide,
we observed band-limited microwave impulses with amplitude proportional to
bunch energy. Signals in different waveguide elements measuring the same shower
were used to estimate relative time differences with 2.3 picosecond precision.
These measurements establish a basis for using arrays of alumina-loaded
waveguide elements, with exceptional radiation hardness, as very high precision
timing planes for high-energy physics detectors.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figure
Experimental Limit on the Cosmic Diffuse Ultra-high Energy Neutrino Flux
We report results from 120 hours of livetime with the Goldstone Lunar
Ultra-high energy neutrino Experiment (GLUE). The experiment searches for <10
ns microwave pulses from the lunar regolith, appearing in coincidence at two
large radio telescopes separated by 22 km and linked by optical fiber. Such
pulses would arise from subsurface electromagnetic cascades induced by
interactions of >= 100 EeV neutrinos in the lunar regolith. No candidates are
yet seen, and the implied limits constrain several current models for
ultra-high energy neutrino fluxes.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, revtex4 style. New intro section, Fig. 2, Fig 4;
in final PRL revie
Radio Detection of High Energy Particles: Coherence Versus Multiple Scales
Radio Cherenkov emission underlines detection of high energy particles via a
signal growing like the particle-energy-squared. Cosmic ray-induced
electromagnetic showers are a primary application. While many studies have
treated the phenomenon approximately, none have attempted to incorporate all
the physical scales involved in problems with time- or spatially- evolving
charges. We find it is possible to decompose the calculated fields into the
product of a form factor, characterizing a moving charge distribution,
multiplying a general integral which depends on the charge evolution. In
circumstances of interest for cosmic ray physics, the resulting expressions can
be evaluated explicitely in terms of a few parameters obtainable from shower
codes. The classic issues of Frauhofer and Fresnel zones play a crucial role in
the coherence.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figure
Status of ANITA and ANITA-lite
We describe a new experiment to search for neutrinos with energies above 3 x
10^18 eV based on the observation of short duration radio pulses that are
emitted from neutrino-initiated cascades. The primary objective of the
ANtarctic Impulse Transient Antenna (ANITA) mission is to measure the flux of
Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin (GZK) neutrinos and search for neutrinos from Active
Galactic Nuclei (AGN). We present first results obtained from the successful
launch of a 2-antenna prototype instrument (called ANITA-lite) that circled
Antarctica for 18 days during the 03/04 Antarctic campaign and show preliminary
results from attenuation length studies of electromagnetic waves at radio
frequencies in Antarctic ice. The ANITA detector is funded by NASA, and the
first flight is scheduled for December 2006.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, to be published in Proceedings of International
School of Cosmic Ray Astrophysics, 14th Course: "Neutrinos and Explosive
Events in the Universe", Erice, Italy, 2-13 July 200
Ultra-Relativistic Magnetic Monopole Search with the ANITA-II Balloon-borne Radio Interferometer
We have conducted a search for extended energy deposition trails left by
ultra-relativistic magnetic monopoles interacting in Antarctic ice. The
non-observation of any satisfactory candidates in the 31 days of accumulated
ANITA-II flight data results in an upper limit on the diffuse flux of
relativistic monopoles. We obtain a 90% C.L. limit of order
10^{-19}/(cm^2-s-sr) for values of Lorentz boost factor 10^{10}<gamma at the
anticipated energy E=10^{16} GeV. This bound is stronger than all previously
published experimental limits for this kinematic range.Comment: updated to version accepted by Phys. Rev.
Accelerator Measurements of the Askaryan effect in Rock Salt: A Roadmap Toward Teraton Underground Neutrino Detectors
We report on further SLAC measurements of the Askaryan effect: coherent radio
emission from charge asymmetry in electromagnetic cascades. We used synthetic
rock salt as the dielectric medium, with cascades produced by GeV
bremsstrahlung photons at the Final Focus Test Beam. We extend our prior
discovery measurements to a wider range of parameter space and explore the
effect in a dielectric medium of great potential interest to large scale
ultra-high energy neutrino detectors: rock salt (halite), which occurs
naturally in high purity formations containing in many cases hundreds of cubic
km of water-equivalent mass. We observed strong coherent pulsed radio emission
over a frequency band from 0.2-15 GHz. A grid of embedded dual-polarization
antennas was used to confirm the high degree of linear polarization and track
the change of direction of the electric-field vector with azimuth around the
shower. Coherence was observed over 4 orders of magnitude of shower energy. The
frequency dependence of the radiation was tested over two orders of magnitude
of UHF and microwave frequencies. We have also made the first observations of
coherent transition radiation from the Askaryan charge excess, and the result
agrees well with theoretical predictions. Based on these results we have
performed a detailed and conservative simulation of a realistic GZK neutrino
telescope array within a salt-dome, and we find it capable of detecting 10 or
more contained events per year from even the most conservative GZK neutrino
models.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
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