131. Long Term Performance of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryKoun Choi, Andrej Filipčič, Gašper Kukec Mezek, Samo Stanič, Marta Trini, Serguei Vorobiov, Lili Yang, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2019, published scientific conference contribution Keywords: ultra-high energy cosmic rays, Pierre Auger Observatory, long term performance Published in RUNG: 16.06.2020; Views: 2506; Downloads: 82 Full text (1,14 MB) |
132. Anisotropies of the highest energy cosmic-ray events recorded by the Pierre Auger Observatory in 15 years of operationLorenzo Caccianiga, Andrej Filipčič, Gašper Kukec Mezek, Samo Stanič, Marta Trini, Serguei Vorobiov, Lili Yang, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2019, published scientific conference contribution Keywords: ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR), UHECR anisotropies, Pierre Auger Observatory Published in RUNG: 16.06.2020; Views: 2570; Downloads: 100 Full text (1,65 MB) |
133. The AMIGA underground muon detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory - performance and event reconstructionAna Martina Botti, Andrej Filipčič, Gašper Kukec Mezek, Samo Stanič, Marta Trini, Serguei Vorobiov, Lili Yang, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2019, published scientific conference contribution Keywords: Pierre Auger Observatory, muon detector, event reconstruction Published in RUNG: 16.06.2020; Views: 2763; Downloads: 78 Full text (1,02 MB) |
134. Test benches for the upgrade of the Pierre AugerObservatory electronicsMartina Boháčová, Andrej Filipčič, Gašper Kukec Mezek, Samo Stanič, Marta Trini, Serguei Vorobiov, Lili Yang, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2019, published scientific conference contribution Keywords: Pierre Auger Observatory, surface detector station, electronics, test benches Published in RUNG: 16.06.2020; Views: 2496; Downloads: 77 Full text (735,82 KB) |
135. Highlights from the Pierre Auger ObservatoryAntonella Castellina, Andrej Filipčič, Gašper Kukec Mezek, Samo Stanič, Marta Trini, Serguei Vorobiov, Lili Yang, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2019, published scientific conference contribution Keywords: ultra-high energy cosmic rays, extensive air showers, Pierre Auger Observatory Published in RUNG: 16.06.2020; Views: 3014; Downloads: 101 Full text (4,92 MB) |
136. Covering the celestial sphere at ultra-high energies: Full-sky cosmic-ray maps beyond the ankle and the flux suppressionJ. Biteau, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2019, published scientific conference contribution 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: 2552; Downloads: 82 Full text (4,92 MB) |
137. SEARCH FOR NEUTRINOS AT EXTREME ENERGIES WITH THE PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORYMarta Trini, 2019, doctoral dissertation Abstract: The detection of Ultra-High-Energy (UHE) neutrinos around and above 10 18 eV (1 EeV) can be the key to
answering the long-standing question of the origin of the UHE cosmic rays. The Pierre Auger Observatory
is the largest experiment that can detect the extensive air showers produced when the cosmic rays and
neutrinos interact in the earth’s atmosphere. In particular, with the Infilled array of the Surface Detector
of the Pierre Auger Observatory we can detect sub-EeV neutrino-induced particle showers. In this thesis
we demonstrate that it is possible to discriminate neutrino-induced showers from the background showers
produced by the more numerous nucleonic cosmic rays. The sensitivity to neutrinos is enhanced in the
inclined directions with respect to the vertical to the ground, where cosmic ray-induced showers starting in
the upper layers of the atmosphere are dominated by the muonic component of the shower, while deeply-
penetrating neutrino showers in contrast exhibit a large electromagnetic component. Based on this idea in
this thesis we have developed a search procedure for UHE neutrinos that consists on selecting inclined
events in the Infilled array of the Pierre Auger Observatory in which the signals in the water-Cherenkov
stations are spread in time, characteristic of the presence of electromagnetic component in the shower. We
have established a complete chain of criteria to first select the inclined events among the sample of all
events triggering the Infilled array, and then identifying those that have a large electromagnetic component
at ground, and hence can be considered as neutrino candidates. We have identified a single variable, the
so-called area-over-peak averaged over all of the stations in each event, as a suitable observable for neutrino
identification purposes. The neutrino selection was established using extensive Monte Carlo simulations of
the neutrino-induced showers in the Infilled array of Auger as well as a fraction of the data assumed to
be totally constituted of background nucleonic cosmic rays. Using these neutrino simulations we have also
computed the exposure of the Infilled array to UHE neutrinos in the period 1 January 04 - 31 December 2017.
Associated systematic uncertainties on the exposure are also described. Expecting no candidate neutrinos in
the period up to 31 December 2017, and adopting a differential neutrino diffuse flux dN ν /dE ν = k E ν −2 in
the energy range from 0.05 to 1 EeV, we have obtained a 90% C.L. upper limit on the all neutrino flavor,
k 90 < 7.97 × 10 −8 GeV cm −2 s −1 sr −1 . Keywords: astroparticles, astrophysical neutrinos, cosmic rays showers, Pierre Auger Observatory, Infilled
array Published in RUNG: 03.10.2019; Views: 4769; Downloads: 147 Full text (6,02 MB) |
138. Space weather research with the Pierre Auger ObservatoryMiha Živec, 2019, master's thesis Abstract: Space weather refers to environmental conditions in the interplanetary space and Earth’s
magnetosphere, ionosphere and exosphere and can influence the performance and reliability
of electronics based technological systems. The major role in space weather
changes plays the solar wind, a stream of charged particles (mostly electrons and protons)
with energies of approximately 1 keV, that can cause geomagnetic storms and auroras.
During their entry into the atmosphere, high energy cosmic rays collide with atomic
nuclei of atmospheric gasses. When scattering occurs extensive air showers are created.
Those cascades of secondary particles create flashes of light due to the Cherenkov
effect as well as excite molecules of nitrogen gas in atmosphere, which then glow in
fluorescent light. In order to observe the light created by air showers, it has to be
collected with telescopes. The particles from the cascades that reach ground can be
detected with surface detectors. The Pierre Auger Observatory is the largest observatory
for cosmic ray measurements. It is located in Argentinian pampas covering an area of
3000 km2. It consists of 1660 surface detectors and 27 fluorescence telescopes. For
cosmic rays with energies above few 1017 eV, a precise reconstruction of energy and
direction of primary particle is achievable. Observatory also allows measurement of
flux of incoming particles down to primary energies in ca. 10 GeV - 10 TeV interval, with a median energy ca. 80-90 GeV. This measurement capability is called "scaler"
mode, since the corresponding data consist of scaler counted cascade particles with
deposited energy between 15 and 100 MeV, at the average rate of 2 kHz per individual
surface detector.
For the purpose of this master thesis I compared the data from scaler mode measurements
with measurements of neutron monitors, which are commonly used for space weather
observations. With the correlation received from the comparison, I showed that scaler
mode operation of Pierre Auger observatory can be used to monitor space weather events
such as solar cycle and the decreases in the observed galactic cosmic ray intensity due
to solar wind (Forbush decrease). Keywords: Pierre Auger Observatory, cosmic rays, space weather, Forbush decrease Published in RUNG: 17.09.2019; Views: 4971; Downloads: 181 Full text (5,21 MB) |
139. Mass composition of cosmic rays with energies from 10^17.2 eV to 10^20 eV using surface and fluorescence detectors of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryGašper Kukec Mezek, 2018, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are highly energetic particles with EeV energies, exceeding the capabilities of man-made colliders. They hold information on extreme astrophysical processes that create them and the medium they traverse on their way towards Earth. However, their mass composition at such energies is still unclear, because data interpretation depends on our choice of high energy hadronic interaction models. With its hybrid detection method, the Pierre Auger Observatory has the possibility to detect extensive air showers with an array of surface water-Cherenkov stations (SD) and fluorescence telescopes (FD). We present recent mass composition results from the Pierre Auger Collaboration using observational parameters from SD and FD measurements. Using the full dataset of the Pierre Auger Observatory, implications on composition can be made for energies above 10^17.2 eV. Keywords: astroparticle physics, ultra-high energy cosmic rays, extensive air showers, mass composition, Pierre Auger Observatory, fluorescence telescopes, water-Cherenkov stations Published in RUNG: 24.05.2019; Views: 3341; Downloads: 110 Full text (573,00 KB) |
140. Multi-Messenger Physics With the Pierre Auger ObservatoryKarl-Heinz Kampert, Andrej Filipčič, Gašper Kukec Mezek, Samo Stanič, Marta Trini, Serguei Vorobiov, Lili Yang, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2019, original scientific article Keywords: Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high energy cosmic rays, photons, neutrinos, protons, multi-messenger physics and astrophysics Published in RUNG: 06.05.2019; Views: 3271; Downloads: 107 Full text (2,46 MB) |