1. Overview of hadronic interaction studies at the Pierre Auger ObservatoryJakub Vícha, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2025, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The combination of fluorescence and surface detectors at the Pierre Auger Observatory offers unprecedented precision in testing models of hadronic interactions at center-of-mass energies around 70 TeV and beyond. However, for some time, discrepancies between model predictions and measured air-shower data have complicated efforts to accurately determine the mass composition of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. A key inconsistency is the deficit of simulated signals compared to those measured with the surface detectors, typically interpreted as a deficit in the muon signal generated by the hadronic component of simulated showers.
Recently, a new global method has been applied to the combined data from the surface and fluorescence detectors at the Pierre Auger Observatory. This method simultaneously determines the mass composition of cosmic rays and evaluates variations in the simulated depth of the shower maximum and hadronic signals on the ground. The findings reveal not only the alleviated muon problem but also show that all current models of hadronic interactions predict depths of the shower maximum that are too shallow, offering new insights into deficiencies in these models from a broader perspective.
Keywords: ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, Pierre Auger Observatory, extensive air showers, hadronic interactions
Published in RUNG: 28.03.2025; Views: 435; Downloads: 8
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2. Effect of shell thickness on the exchange bias blocking temperature and coercivity in Co-CoO core-shell nanoparticlesSenoy Thomas, K. Reethu, Thanveer Thajudheen, M. T. Z. Myint, S. H. Al-Harthi, 2017, original scientific article Abstract: The exchange bias blocking temperature distribution of naturally oxidized Co-CoO core-shell nanoparticles exhibits two distinct signatures. These are associated with the existence of two magnetic entities which are responsible for the temperature dependence of an exchange bias field. One is from the CoO grains which undergo thermally activated magnetization reversal. The other is from the disordered spins at the Co-CoO interface which exhibits spin-glass-like behavior. We investigated the oxide shell thickness dependence of the exchange bias effect. For particles with a 3 nm thick CoO shell, the predominant contribution to the temperature dependence of exchange bias is the interfacial spin-glass layer. On increasing the shell thickness to 4 nm, the contribution from the spin-glass layer decreases, while upholding the antiferromagnetic grain contribution. For samples with a 4 nm CoO shell, the exchange bias training was minimal. On the other hand, 3 nm samples exhibited both the training effect and a peak in coercivity at an intermediate set temperature Ta. This is explained using a magnetic core-shell model including disordered spins at the interface.
Keywords: exchange interactions, magnetic ordering, ferromagnetic materials, magnetic materials, polycrystalline material, thin films, nanoparticle, nuclear structure models, oxides, transition metals
Published in RUNG: 13.12.2024; Views: 871; Downloads: 5
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3. Probing hadronic interactions using the latest data measured by the Pierre Auger ObservatoryCaterina Trimarelli, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2022, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The Pierre Auger Observatory is the world’s largest ultra-high energy cosmic ray observatory. Its hybrid detection technique combines the observation of the longitudinal development of extensive air showers and the lateral distribution of particles arriving at the ground. In this contribution, a review of the latest results on hadronic interactions using measurements from the Pierre Auger Observatory is given. In particular, we report on the self-consistency tests of the post-LHC models using measurements of the depth of the shower maximum and the main features of the muon component at the ground. The tensions between the model predictions and the data, considering different shower observables, are reviewed.
Keywords: ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, hadronic interactions, extensive air showers, maximum depth, EAS muon content, Pierre Auger Observatory, post-LHC hadronic interaction models
Published in RUNG: 04.10.2024; Views: 1166; Downloads: 8
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6. Investigation of multi-messenger properties of FR0 radio galaxy emitted ultra-high energy cosmic raysJon Paul Lundquist, Lukas Merten, Serguei Vorobiov, Margot Boughelilba, Albert Reimer, Paolo Da Vela, F. Tavecchio, G. Bonnoli, C. Righi, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: Low luminosity Fanaroff-Riley type 0 (FR0) radio galaxies are amongst potential contributors to the observed flux of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). Due to FR0s’ much higher abundance in the local universe than more powerful radio galaxies (e.g., about five times more ubiquitous at redshifts z≤0.05 than FR1s), they could provide a substantial fraction of the total UHECR energy density.
In the presented work, we determine the mass composition and energy spectrum of UHECRs emitted by FR0 sources by fitting simulation results from the CRPropa3 framework to the recently published Pierre Auger Observatory data. The resulting emission spectral characteristics (spectral indices, rigidity cutoffs) and elemental group fractions are compared to the Auger results. The FR0 simulations include the approximately isotropic distribution of FR0s extrapolated from the measured FR0 galaxy properties and various extragalactic magnetic field configurations, including random and large-scale structured fields. We predict the fluxes of secondary photons and neutrinos produced during UHECR propagation through cosmic photon backgrounds. The presented results allow for probing the properties of the FR0 radio galaxies as cosmic-ray sources using observational high-energy multi-messenger data.
Keywords: ultra-high energy cosmic rays, UHECRs, Pierre Auger Observatory, UHECR propagation, UHECR interactions, UHECR energy spectrum, UHECR mass composition, UHECR sources, Fanaroff-Riley (FR) radio galaxies, FR0 galaxies
Published in RUNG: 24.01.2024; Views: 2392; Downloads: 52
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7. Studies of the mass composition of cosmic rays and proton-proton interaction cross-sections at ultra-high energies with the Pierre Auger ObservatoryOlena Tkachenko, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: In this work, we present an estimate of the cosmic-ray mass composition from the distributions of the depth of the shower maximum (�max) measured by the fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We discuss the sensitivity of the mass composition measurements to the uncertainties in the properties of the hadronic interactions, particularly in the predictions of the particle interaction cross-sections. For this purpose, we adjust the fractions of cosmic-ray mass groups to fit the data with �max distributions from air shower simulations. We modify the proton-proton cross-sections at ultra-high energies, and the corresponding air shower simulations with rescaled nucleus-air cross-sections are obtained via Glauber theory. We compare the energydependent composition of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays obtained for the different extrapolations
of the proton-proton cross-sections from low-energy accelerator data.
Keywords: Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high energy cosmic rays, extensive air shower, hadronic interactions, cross-section, Xmax
Published in RUNG: 23.01.2024; Views: 3110; Downloads: 9
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8. Studies of the UHECR Mass Composition and Hadronic Interactions with the FD and SD of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryJ.M. Carceller, Andrej Filipčič, Gašper Kukec Mezek, Ahmed Saleh, Samo Stanič, Marta Trini, Serguei Vorobiov, Lili Yang, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2019, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: With data on the depth of maximum Xmax collected during more than a decade of operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we report on the inferences on the mass composition of UHECRs in the energy range E = 10[sup]17.2 − 10[sup]19.6 eV and on the measurements of the proton-air cross section for energies up to 10[sup]18.5 eV. We also present the results on Xmax obtained using the information on the particle arrival times recorded by the SD stations allowing us to extend the Xmax measurements up to 10[sup]20 eV. The inferences on mass composition, in particular using the data of the SD, are subject to systematic uncertainties
due to uncertainties in the description of hadronic interactions at ultra-high energies. We
discuss this problem with respect to the properties of the muonic component of extensive
air-showers as derived from the SD data.
Keywords: ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), extensive air showers (EAS), EAS muonic component, EAS electromagnetic component, Pierre Auger Observatory, UHECR mass composition, UHECR hadronic interactions
Published in RUNG: 11.10.2023; Views: 2556; Downloads: 12
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10. CR-ENTREES - Cosmic-Ray ENergy TRansport in timE-Evolving astrophysical SettingsAnita Reimer, Lukas Merten, Margot Boughelilba, Paolo Da Vela, Serguei Vorobiov, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: In order to understand observable signatures from putative cosmic-ray (CR) sources in-source
acceleration of particles, their energy and time-dependent transport including interactions in an
evolving environment and their escape from source have to be considered, in addition to sourceto-
Earth propagation.
We present the code CR-ENTREES (Cosmic-Ray ENergy TRansport in timE-Evolving astrophysical
Settings) that evolves the coupled time- and energy-dependent kinetic equations for cosmicray
nucleons, pions, muons, electrons, positrons, photons and neutrinos in a one-zone setup of
(possibly) non-constant size, with user-defined particle and photon injection laws. All relevant
interactions, particle/photon escape and adiabatic losses are considered in a radiation-dominated,
magnetized astrophysical environment that is itself evolving in time. Particle and photon interactions
are pre-calculated using event generators assuring an accurate interactions and secondary
particle production description. We use the matrix multiplication method for fast radiation and
particle energy transport which allows also an efficient treatment of transport non-linearities due
to the produced particles/photons being fed back into the simulation chain.
Examples for the temporal evolution of the non-thermal emission from AGN jet-like systems with
focus on proton-initiated pair cascades inside an expanding versus straight jet emission region, are
further presented.
Keywords: cosmic rays, CR energy transport, CR interactions
Published in RUNG: 24.08.2023; Views: 2509; Downloads: 4
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