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Abstract: Ultra high energy cosmic ray (UHECR) chemical composition is important to resolving questions about the locations of UHECR sources and propagation models. Because composition can only be deduced by a process of statistical inference via the observation of air shower maxima (Xmax), UHECR observatories with large data collection rates must be employed to reduce statistical fluctuations. Telescope Array (TA), the largest cosmic ray observatory in the Northern Hemisphere, is designed to answer the question of UHECR composition, as well as other important features of cosmic ray flux, by combining a large array of over 500 scintillation surface detectors spread over 700 km^2, and three fluorescence detector stations overlooking the array. With eight years of data recorded, results of the measurements of UHECR composition will be presented. UHECR composition is traditionally measured by comparing the first and second moments of the distributions of shower maxima, which evolves with energy, between data and simulations. Reducing statistical fluctuations in the data helps to distinguish between different primary elements in the flux. In the current generation of cosmic ray observatories, UHECR data sets are large enough, and statistical uncertainties are now small enough, that we can safely distinguish between very light primary source flux (i.e., protons) and heavy flux (i.e., iron). Reducing systematic uncertainties is also important though, since large systematic shifts in air shower maxima will influence the interpretation of the data when compared to models. TA therefore employs different methods of measuring Xmax, including stereo air fluorescence, air fluorescence-surface counter hybrid, and a new technique using only surface counters. Updated results of TA hybrid composition among the different methods are presented using up to eight years of data. Agreement among all TA hybrid composition results are shown as well as detailed systematic errors which can be further explored by comparing composition results of the different measurement methods. Comparison of TA Xmax data are compared to different composition models as well.
Keywords: UHECR, Cosmic rays, composition
Published in RUNG: 29.04.2020; Views: 2475; Downloads: 83
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Abstract: Evidence of an energy dependent intermediate-scale anisotropy has been found in the arrival directions of ultra-high energy cosmic rays in the northern hemisphere, using 7 years of TA surface detector data. The previously reported ``hot spot" excess E ≥ 10^19.75 EeV is found to correspond to a deficit, or ``cold spot," of events for 10^19.2≤ E < 10^19.75 EeV. This feature suggests energy dependent magnetic deflection of cosmic-rays. The global post-trial significance of the energy spectrum deviation is found to be 3.74σ.
Keywords: UHECR, cosmic rays, energy spectrum, anisotropy, magnetic deflection
Published in RUNG: 28.04.2020; Views: 2751; Downloads: 79
Full text (4,87 MB)

Abstract: The Telescope Array Experiment has observed an indication of intermediate-scale anisotropy in the UHECR arrival directions, called the Hotspot, with E>57 EeV around the Ursa Major using the first 5-year data during a period between May 2008 and May 2013 collected by the TA surface detector array. The chance probability of this hotspot in an isotropic cosmic-ray sky was calculated to be 3.4σ (post trial). In this paper, we will report on an update of this result using the 11-year data collected by the TA surface detectors with more than doubled exposure since the first publication.
Keywords: UHECR, cosmic rays, anisotropy
Published in RUNG: 28.04.2020; Views: 2483; Downloads: 80
Full text (934,91 KB)

Abstract: Despite deflections by Galactic and extragalactic magnetic fields, the distribution of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) over the celestial sphere remains a most promising observable for the identification of their sources. Thanks to a large number of detected events over the past years, a large-scale anisotropy at energies above 8 EeV has been identified, and there are also indications from the Telescope Array and Pierre Auger Collaborations of deviations from isotropy at intermediate angular scales (about 20 degrees) at the highest energies. In this contribution, we map the flux of UHECRs over the full sky at energies beyond each of two major features in the UHECR spectrum – the ankle and the flux suppression, and we derive limits for anisotropy on different angular scales in the two energy regimes. In particular, full-sky coverage enables constraints on low-order multipole moments without assumptions about the strength of higher-order multipoles. Following previous efforts from the two Collaborations, we build full-sky maps accounting for the relative exposure of the arrays and differences in the energy normalizations. The procedure relies on cross-calibrating the UHECR fluxes reconstructed in the declination band around the celestial equator covered by both observatories. We present full-sky maps at energies above ~10 EeV and ~50 EeV, using the largest datasets shared across UHECR collaborations to date. We report on anisotropy searches exploiting full-sky coverage and discuss possible constraints on the distribution of UHECR sources.
Keywords: UHECR, cosmic rays, anisotropy, Telescope Array, Pierre Auger Observatory
Published in RUNG: 28.04.2020; Views: 2585; Downloads: 82
Full text (4,92 MB)

Abstract: Moving from Antarctic balloons to the International Space Station the Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass detector (ISS-CREAM) has begun taking the highest energy direct measurements of cosmic ray (CR) particles ever attempted. ISS-CREAM will investigate how the energy distributions evolve, for protons all the way to iron nuclei, and will provide important information for models of galactic sources and CR propagation. The CR particle identification can be significantly improved by tracking particle-detector interactions from the calorimeter (for energy measurement) back to the Silicon Charge Detector for atomic number determination. A track finding algorithm resistant to such issues as particle multiplicity, backscatter, and noise is outlined.
Keywords: cosmic rays, high energy, track finding
Published in RUNG: 28.04.2020; Views: 2906; Downloads: 0
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