1. Multi-messenger astrophysics with the Pierre Auger ObservatoryMassimo Mastrodicasa, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2022, objavljeni znanstveni prispevek na konferenci Opis: The Pierre Auger Observatory is sensitive to ultra-high energy neutral particles, such as photons, neutrinos, and neutrons, and can take part in Multi-Messenger searches in collaboration with other observatories. Photons and neutrinos are searched by exploiting the design of the Pierre Auger Observatory and profiting from the different properties of the induced showers caused by different particles. Diffuse and point source fluxes of photons and neutrinos are searched for. Furthermore, photon and neutrino follow-ups of the gravitational wave events observed by the LIGO/Virgo Collaboration are conducted. The Pierre Auger Observatory is also used to search for neutrons from point-like sources. In contrast to photons and neutrinos, neutrons induce air showers that cannot be distinguished from those produced by protons. For this reason, the search for neutrons from a given source is performed by searching for an excess of air showers from the corresponding direction. All these searches have resulted in stringent upper limits on the corresponding fluxes of the considered particles, allowing, together with the results obtained by other experiments, to shed some light on the most energetic phenomena of our Universe. An overview of the Multi-Messenger activities carried out within the Pierre Auger Collaboration is presented. Ključne besede: ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, UHE photons, UHE neutrinos, UHE neutrons, Pierre Auger Observatory, multi-messenger astrophysical studies Objavljeno v RUNG: 04.10.2024; Ogledov: 16; Prenosov: 0 Celotno besedilo (640,80 KB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
2. 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, objavljeni znanstveni prispevek na konferenci Opis: 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. Ključne besede: ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, hadronic interactions, extensive air showers, maximum depth, EAS muon content, Pierre Auger Observatory, post-LHC hadronic interaction models Objavljeno v RUNG: 04.10.2024; Ogledov: 10; Prenosov: 0 Celotno besedilo (1,97 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
3. Expected performance of the Auger Radio DetectorFelix Schlüter, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2023, objavljeni znanstveni prispevek na konferenci Opis: The Auger Radio Detector (RD) will increase the sky coverage and overall aperture for mass- sensitive measurements of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays with the Pierre Auger Observatory. The installation of over 1600 dual-polarized short aperiodic loaded loop antennas (SALLAs) on an area of about 3000 sq. km will enable the detection of highly inclined air showers via the emitted electromagnetic radiation in coincidence with the Auger water-Cherenkov detector array (SD). The combination of complementary information from both detectors yields a strong sensitivity to the mass composition of cosmic rays.
We will present the expected performance of the RD to detect and reconstruct inclined air showers. This study features comprehensive sets of Monte-Carlo generated air showers, utilizes a complete description of the instrumental response of the radio antennas, and in-situ recorded background. The estimation of an energy- and direction-dependent aperture yields an expectation of about 3900 events with energies above 10[sup]19 eV being detected during 10 years of operation. From a full event reconstruction, we quantify the achievable energy resolution to be better than 10% at and beyond 10[sup]19 eV. With this at hand, the potential to measure the number of muons and discriminate between different cosmic-ray primaries in combination with the SD using inclined air showers is presented. The discrimination between proton- and iron-induced air showers yields a figure-of-merit of 1.6. Ključne besede: Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, extensive air showers, Auger Radio Detector, Auger water-Cherenkov detector array, mass-sensitive UHECR measurements Objavljeno v RUNG: 03.10.2024; Ogledov: 78; Prenosov: 0 Celotno besedilo (917,68 KB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
4. The depth of the shower maximum of air showers measured with AERABjarni Pont, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2023, objavljeni znanstveni prispevek na konferenci Opis: The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is an array of 153 radio antennas spanning an area of 17 sq. km, currently the largest of its kind, that probes the nature of ultra-high energy cosmic rays at energies around the transition from Galactic to extra-galactic origin. It measures the MHz radio emission of extensive air showers produced by cosmic rays hitting our atmosphere. The elemental composition of cosmic rays is a crucial piece of information in determining what the sources of cosmic rays are and how cosmic rays are accelerated. This composition can be obtained from the mass-sensitive parameter Xmax, the depth of the shower maximum. We reconstruct Xmax with a likelihood analysis by comparing the measured radio footprint on the ground to an ensemble of footprints from Monte-Carlo CORSIKA/CoREAS air shower simulations. We compare our Xmax reconstruction with fluorescence Xmax measurements on a per-event basis, a setup unique to the Pierre Auger Observatory, and show the methods to be compatible. Furthermore, we extensively validate our reconstruction by identifying and correcting for systematic uncertainties. We determine the resolution of our method as a function of energy and reach a precision better than 15 g/cm[sup]2 at the highest energies. With a bias-free set of around 600 showers, we find a light to light-mixed composition at energies between 10[sup]17.5 to 10[sup]18.8 eV, also in agreement with Auger fluorescence measurements. Ključne besede: Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, extensive air showers, UHECR mass composition Objavljeno v RUNG: 03.10.2024; Ogledov: 74; Prenosov: 0 Celotno besedilo (507,88 KB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
5. Simulations of antenna response for the Radio Detector of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryU. G. Giaccari, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2023, objavljeni znanstveni prispevek na konferenci Opis: After more than 15 years of successful operation, the Pierre Auger Observatory is currently undergoing a major upgrade called AugerPrime. The aim is to study the mass composition of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. Part of the upgrade program consists in installing a Short Aperiodic Loaded Loop Antenna (SALLA) atop each of the 1660 water-Cherenkov detectors.
To obtain an absolute calibration for the SALLA, the frequency and directionally dependent antenna response (or vector effective length) must be known. The characteristics of the SALLA depend on various parameters, most prominent is the considered frequency of reception and the antenna geometry. Moreover, the interaction with the structure elements and the presence of the ground has an impact. The measurement of the characteristics of the SALLA is a complex experimental effort. In this view, investigation by numerical antenna simulations provides an important and useful tool. In this contribution, we describe the method used to calculate the vector equivalent length of the SALLA with an advanced and widely used software for antenna simulations like the Numerical Electromagnetics Code (NEC). Ključne besede: Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, extensive air showers, AugerPrime upgrade Objavljeno v RUNG: 03.10.2024; Ogledov: 64; Prenosov: 0 Celotno besedilo (1,03 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
6. Absolute calibration and investigation of ageing of the AERA radio detectorsRogerio M. De Almeida, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2023, objavljeni znanstveni prispevek na konferenci Opis: The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is currently the largest facility to measure radio emissions from extensive air showers. Located at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina,
it comprises 153 autonomous radio-detector stations, covering an area of 17 sq. km, and measures radio waves in the frequency range from 30 to 80 MHz. For the correct interpretation of data collected by AERA stations, the detector response has to be carefully calibrated. In the past, this was done by measuring the analogue chain in the laboratory, in addition to simulating and measuring the directional response of the antenna. In this work, we perform an absolute calibration by using the radio emission from the Galaxy. A model of the full radio sky is propagated through the system response, including the antenna, filters and amplifiers, and compared to the average spectra recorded by the stations. The method to determine the calibration constants, as the results, for each antenna will be presented. The behavior of the calibration constants is studied as a function of time from 2014 to 2020. There is no relevant ageing effect over a timescale of 10 years, showing that radio detectors could help to monitor possible ageing effects of other detector systems during long-term operations, stressing their importance in determining an absolute energy scale. Ključne besede: Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, extensive air showers, engineering radio array Objavljeno v RUNG: 03.10.2024; Ogledov: 81; Prenosov: 0 Celotno besedilo (1,27 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
7. Measuring the muon content of inclined air showers using AERA and the particle detector of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryP. Abreu, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2023, objavljeni znanstveni prispevek na konferenci Opis: A first measurement of the muon content of air showers using hybrid measurements combining radio and particle detection is presented. For inclined air showers with zenith angles above 60°,
the water-Cherenkov detector (WCD) of the Pierre Auger Observatory performs an almost pure measurement of the muonic component, whereas the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) allows reconstructing the electromagnetic energy independently using the radio emission of
the air shower.
The analysis of more than six years of AERA data shows a deficit of muons predicted by all current-generation hadronic interaction models for energies between 4 EeV and 20 EeV. This deficit, already observed in previous analyses of Auger, is now confirmed for the first time with radio data. This analysis is limited by low statistics of only 59 high-quality events due to the small area of AERA of 17 km² and the high energy threshold of 4 EeV originating from the WCD reconstruction.
With the AugerPrime Radio Detector currently being deployed, this analysis can be extended to the highest energies to allow for in-depth tests of hadronic interaction models with large statistics. Ključne besede: Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, extensive air showers, engineering radio array Objavljeno v RUNG: 03.10.2024; Ogledov: 75; Prenosov: 0 Celotno besedilo (534,45 KB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
8. Search for photons above ▫$10^{18}$▫ eV by simultaneously measuring the atmospheric depth and the muon content of air showers at the Pierre Auger ObservatoryA. Abdul Halim, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: The Pierre Auger Observatory is the most sensitive instrument to detect photons with energies above 10[sup]17 eV. It measures extensive air showers generated by ultrahigh energy cosmic rays using a hybrid technique that exploits the combination of a fluorescence detector with a ground array of particle detectors. The signatures of a photon-induced air shower are a larger atmospheric depth of the shower maximum (�max) and a steeper lateral distribution function, along with a lower number of muons with respect to the bulk of hadron-induced cascades. In this work, a new analysis technique in the energy interval between 1 and 30 EeV (1 EeV=10[sup]18 eV) has been developed by combining the fluorescence detector-based measurement of �max with the specific features of the surface detector signal through a parameter related to the air shower muon content, derived from the universality of the air shower development. No evidence of a statistically significant signal due to photon primaries was found using data collected in about 12 years of operation. Thus, upper bounds to the integral photon flux have been set using a detailed calculation of the detector exposure, in combination with a data-driven background estimation. The derived 95% confidence level upper limits are 0.0403, 0.01113, 0.0035, 0.0023, and 0.0021 km[sup]−2 sr[sup]−1 yr[sup]−1 above 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 EeV, respectively, leading to the most stringent upper limits on the photon flux in the EeV range. Compared with past results, the upper limits were improved by about 40% for the lowest energy threshold and by a factor 3 above 3 EeV, where no candidates were found and the expected background is negligible. The presented limits can be used to probe the assumptions on chemical composition of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays and allow for the constraint of the mass and lifetime phase space of super-heavy dark matter particles. Ključne besede: ultra-high-energy photons, ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, Pierre Auger Observatory, extensive air showers Objavljeno v RUNG: 30.09.2024; Ogledov: 164; Prenosov: 0 Celotno besedilo (4,39 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
9. Dark matter line searches with the Cherenkov Telescope ArrayS. Abe, Saptashwa Bhattacharyya, Christopher Eckner, Judit Pérez Romero, Samo Stanič, Veronika Vodeb, Serguei Vorobiov, Gabrijela Zaharijas, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Miha Živec, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Monochromatic gamma-ray signals constitute a potential smoking gun signature for annihilating
or decaying dark matter particles that could relatively easily be distinguished from astrophysical
or instrumental backgrounds. We provide an updated assessment of the sensitivity of
the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) to such signals, based on observations of the Galactic
centre region as well as of selected dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We find that current limits
and detection prospects for dark matter masses above 300 GeV will be significantly improved,
by up to an order of magnitude in the multi-TeV range.
This demonstrates that CTA will set a new standard for gamma-ray astronomy also in this respect, as the world's largest and most sensitive high-energy gamma-ray observatory, in particular due to its exquisite energy resolution at TeV energies and the adopted observational strategy focussing
on regions with large dark matter densities.
Throughout our analysis, we use up-to-date instrument response functions, and we thoroughly
model the effect of instrumental systematic uncertainties in our statistical treatment. We further present results for other potential signatures with sharp spectral features, e.g. box-shaped spectra, that would likewise very clearly point to a particle dark matter origin. Ključne besede: dark matter experiments, dark matter theory, gamma ray experiments, Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory Objavljeno v RUNG: 24.09.2024; Ogledov: 215; Prenosov: 0 Celotno besedilo (2,04 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
10. Impact of the magnetic horizon on the interpretation of the Pierre Auger Observatory spectrum and composition dataA. Abdul Halim, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: The flux of ultra-high energy cosmic rays reaching Earth above the ankle energy (5 EeV) can be described as a mixture of nuclei injected by extragalactic sources with very hard spectra and a low rigidity cutoff.
Extragalactic magnetic fields existing between the Earth and the closest sources can affect the observed CR spectrum by reducing the flux of low-rigidity particles reaching Earth. We perform a combined fit of the spectrum and distributions of depth of shower maximum measured with the Pierre Auger Observatory including the effect of this magnetic horizon in the propagation of UHECRs in the intergalactic space.
We find that, within a specific range of the various experimental and phenomenological systematics, the magnetic horizon effect can be relevant for turbulent magnetic field strengths in the local neighbourhood in which the closest sources lie
of order Brms ≃ (50–100) nG (20 Mpc/ds)( 100 kpc/Lcoh)1/2, with ds the typical intersource separation and Lcoh the magnetic field coherence length. When this is the case,
the inferred slope of the source spectrum becomes softer and can be closer to the expectations of diffusive shock acceleration, i.e., ∝ E-2.
An additional cosmic-ray population with higher source density and softer spectra, presumably also extragalactic and dominating the cosmic-ray flux at EeV energies, is also required to reproduce the overall spectrum and composition results for all energies down to 0.6 EeV. Ključne besede: ultra high energy cosmic rays, UHECR propagation, magnetic horizon effect, Pierre Auger Observatory Objavljeno v RUNG: 24.09.2024; Ogledov: 182; Prenosov: 0 Celotno besedilo (3,65 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |