171. Gamma Ray Showers Observed at Ground Level in Coincidence With Downward Lightning LeadersR.U. Abbasi, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2018, original scientific article Abstract: Bursts of gamma ray showers have been observed in coincidence with downward propagating negative leaders in lightning flashes by the Telescope Array Surface Detector (TASD). The TASD is a 700‐km^2 cosmic ray observatory located in southwestern Utah, USA. In data collected between 2014 and 2016, correlated observations showing the structure and temporal development of three shower‐producing flashes were obtained with a 3‐D lightning mapping array, and electric field change measurements were obtained for an additional seven flashes, in both cases colocated with the TASD. National Lightning Detection Network information was also used throughout. The showers arrived in a sequence of 2–5 short‐duration (≤10 μs) bursts over time intervals of several hundred microseconds and originated at an altitude of ≃3–5 km above ground level during the first 1–2 ms of downward negative leader breakdown at the beginning of cloud‐to‐ground lightning flashes. The shower footprints, associated waveforms and the effect of atmospheric propagation indicate that the showers consist primarily of downward‐beamed gamma radiation. This has been supported by GEANT simulation studies, which indicate primary source fluxes of ≃10^12–10^14 photons for 16° half‐angle beams. We conclude that the showers are terrestrial gamma ray flashes, similar to those observed by satellites, but that the ground‐based observations are more representative of the temporal source activity and are also more sensitive than satellite observations, which detect only the most powerful terrestrial gamma ray flashes.
Keywords: gamma rays, lightning, gamma ray bursts, surface detector
Published in RUNG: 30.04.2020; Views: 3126; Downloads: 0
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172. The Cosmic Ray Energy Spectrum between 2 PeV and 2 EeV Observed with the TALE Detector in Monocular ModeR.U. Abbasi, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2018, original scientific article Abstract: We report on a measurement of the cosmic ray energy spectrum by the Telescope Array Low-Energy Extension (TALE) air fluorescence detector (FD). The TALE air FD is also sensitive to the Cherenkov light produced by shower particles. Low-energy cosmic rays, in the PeV energy range, are detectable by TALE as Cherenkov events. Using these events, we measure the energy spectrum from a low energy of ~2 PeV to an energy greater than 100 PeV. Above 100 PeV, TALE can detect cosmic rays using air fluorescence. This allows for the extension of the measurement to energies greater than a few EeV. In this paper, we describe the detector, explain the technique, and present results from a measurement of the spectrum using ~1000 hr of observation. The observed spectrum shows a clear steepening near 10^17.1 eV, along with an ankle-like structure at 10^16.2 eV. These features present important constraints on the origin of galactic cosmic rays and on propagation models. The feature at 10^17.1 eV may also mark the end of the galactic cosmic ray flux and the start of the transition to extragalactic sources.
Keywords: astroparticle physics, cosmic rays, UHECR, energy spectrum
Published in RUNG: 30.04.2020; Views: 2672; Downloads: 0
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174. Constraints on the diffuse photon flux with energies above 10^18 eV using the surface detector of the Telescope Array experimentR.U. Abbasi, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2018, original scientific article Abstract: We present the results of the search for ultra-high-energy photons with nine years of data from the Telescope Array surface detector. A multivariate classifier is built upon 16 reconstructed parameters of the extensive air shower. These parameters are related to the curvature and the width of the shower front, the steepness of the lateral distribution function, and the timing parameters of the waveforms sensitive to the shower muon content. A total number of two photon candidates found in the search is fully compatible with the expected background. The 95% CL limits on the diffuse flux of the photons with energies greater than 10^18.0, 10^18.5, 10^19.0, 10^19.5 and 10^20.0 eV are set at the level of 0.067, 0.012, 0.0036, 0.0013, correspondingly.
Keywords: Ultra-high-energy photons, Telescope array experiment, Extensive air showers
Published in RUNG: 30.04.2020; Views: 2979; Downloads: 0
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175. Energy response of ISS-CREAM calorimeter with attenuation effectH.G. Zhang, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2020, other component parts Abstract: The NASA mission, Cosmic Ray Energetic And Mass experiment for the International Space Station (ISS-CREAM) is to measure individual cosmic-ray particle energy spectra from protons to iron nuclei, with an energy range from ~1 TeV to the so-called "knee", near 1015eV. Energies of cosmic-ray particles are measured from electromagnetic showers induced by particles in the calorimeter.
As a pioneer mission, the balloon-borne CREAM instrument has successfully flown seven times over the Antarctica for a cumulative exposure of 191 days. The CREAM calorimeter has shown sufficient capability to measure energies of cosmic-ray particles by capturing the electromagnetic shower profile within the interested energy range. The ISS-CREAM calorimeter is expected to have a similar performance and, before it was launched, an engineering-unit calorimeter was shipped to CERN for a full beam test. The full performance test includes position, energy, and angle scans of electron and pion beams together with a high voltage scan for calibration and characterization.
In addition to the regular analysis for performance test, we also applied an additional step to generate the universal energy responses by correcting the attenuation effect in the calorimeter readout. The general energy responses could be obtained after shifting the incident beam positions to a reference position near the center of the calorimeter, which provided improved energy resolutions. The result of this analysis will be used to determine the incident energies of the cosmic-ray particles in the flight data.
Keywords: cosmic rays, high-energy, particle physics, detectors
Published in RUNG: 29.04.2020; Views: 3130; Downloads: 166
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176. Search for ultra-high-energy neutrinos with the Telescope Array surface detectorR. U. Abbasi, Mitsuhiro Abe, T. Abu-Zayyad, M. Allen, R. Azuma, E. Barcikowski, J. W. Belz, Douglas R. Bergman, S. A. Blake, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: We present an upper limit on the flux of ultra-high-energy down-going neutrinos for E > 10^18 eV derived with the nine years of data collected by the Telescope Array surface detector (05-11-2008–
05-10-2017). The method is based on the multivariate analysis technique, so-called Boosted Decision Trees (BDT). Proton-neutrino classifier is built upon 16 observables related to both the properties of the shower front and the lateral distribution function.
Keywords: neutrinos, pattern recognition, UHECR, cosmic rays
Published in RUNG: 29.04.2020; Views: 2991; Downloads: 76
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177. Search for point sources of ultra-high-energy photons with the Telescope Array surface detectorR.U. Abbasi, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: The surface detector (SD) of the Telescope Array (TA) experiment allows us to detect indirectly photons with energies of the order of 10^18 eV and higher, and to separate photons from the cosmic ray background. In this paper, we present the results of a blind search for point sources of ultra-high-energy (UHE) photons in the Northern sky using the TA SD data. The photon-induced extensive air showers are separated from the hadron-induced extensive air shower background by means of a multivariate classifier based upon 16 parameters that characterize the air shower events. No significant evidence for the photon point sources is found. The upper limits are set on the flux of photons from each particular direction in the sky within the TA field of view, according to the experiment’s angular resolution for photons. The average 95 per cent confidence level upper-limits for the point-source flux of photons with energies greater than 10^18, 10^18.5, 10^19, 10^19.5 and 10^20 eV are 0.094, 0.029, 0.010, 0.0073 and 0.0058 km−2yr−1, respectively. For energies higher than 10^18.5 eV, the photon point-source limits are set for the first time. Numerical results for each given direction in each energy range are provided as a supplement to this paper.
Keywords: methods: data analysis, cosmic rays, gamma-rays: general
Published in RUNG: 29.04.2020; Views: 2662; Downloads: 0
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178. Air Shower Detection by Bistatic RadarM. Abou Bakr Othman, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2011, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: Progress in the field of high‐energy cosmic rays is currently limited by the rarity of the most interesting rays striking the Earth. Indeed, the continuation of the field beyond the current generation of observatories may become financially and practically impossible if new ways are not found to achieve remote coverage over large portions of the Earth’s surface. We describe the development of an observatory based on such a new technique: the remote sensing via bistatic radar technology of cosmic ray induced extensive air showers. We build on pilot studies performed by MARIACHI which have demonstrated that air shower radar echoes are detectable, the opportunity afforded by the location of the Northern Hemisphere’s largest “conventional” cosmic ray observatory (The Telescope Array) in radio‐quiet western Utah, and the donation of analog television transmission equipment to this effort by a local television station.
Keywords: UHECR, Remote sensing, Television broadcasting, Cosmic rays, General procedures and instrumentation, Radar telescopes
Published in RUNG: 29.04.2020; Views: 2722; Downloads: 0
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179. TARA: Forward-scattered radar detection of UHECR at the telescope arrayJ. Belz, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2013, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: Increased event statistics will be required to definitively answer the question of the origin(s) of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR). Using current technologies however, achieving the necessary statistics may be financially and practically impossible. We describe the status and plans of the TARA project, an effort to detect Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays by their forward scattered or “bistatic” radar signature. Bistatic radar holds promise as a new remote sensing technique for UHECR, without the duty cycle limitations of nitrogen fluorescence detectors. Such a technique could prove key in advancing the study of UHECR beyond the constraints of the current generation of cosmic ray observatories. TARA consists of a low-VHF television transmitter illuminating the air above the Telescope Array (TA), and a set of radio receivers on the far side of TA approximately 50 km distant from the transmitter. We have collected radar data since April 2011 using a 2 kW transmitter at 54.1 MHz. Recently, we received permission to increase our broadcast power to 40 kW and our effective radiated power (ERP) to 6 MW. On the receiver end, we are employing software-defined radio receivers and developing real-time trigger algorithms based on the expected air shower radar echo. In addition to presenting an overview of the project status and future plans, we will present the most recent results of searches for coincidences between radar echoes and Telescope Array air shower events.
Keywords: UHECR, cosmic rays, radar detection
Published in RUNG: 29.04.2020; Views: 2728; Downloads: 96
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