Cosmic ray composition at high energies: Results from the TRACER project

Abstract

The TRACER instrument Transition Radiation Array for Cosmic Energetic Radiation is designed to measure the individual energy spectra of cosmic-ray nuclei in long-duration balloon flights The large geometric factor of TRACER 5 m 2 sr permits statistically significant measurements at particle energies well beyond 10 14 eV TRACER identifies individual cosmic-ray nuclei with single-element resolution and measures their energy over a very wide range from about 0 5 to 10 000 GeV nucleon This is accomplished with a gas detector system of 1600 single-wire proportional tubes and plastic fiber radiators that measure specific ionization and transition radiation signals combined with plastic scintillators and acrylic Cherenkov counters A two-week flight in Antarctica in December 2003 has led to a measurement of the nuclear species oxygen to iron O Ne Mg Si S Ar Ca and Fe up to about 3 000 GeV nucleon We shall present the energy spectra and relative abundances for these elements and discuss the implication of the results in the context of current models of acceleration and propagation of galactic cosmic rays The instrument has been refurbished for a second long-duration flight in the Northern hemisphere scheduled for summer 2006 For this flight the dynamic range of TRACER has been extended to permit inclusion of the lighter elements B C and N in the measurement.Comment: 36th COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 16 - 23 July 2006, in Beijing, China., p.251