1. Depth of maximum of air-shower profiles above ▫$10^{17.8}$▫ eV measured with the fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory and mass-composition implicationsThomas Fitoussi, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: After seventeen years of operation, the first phase of measurements at the PierreAuger Observatory finished and the process of upgrading it began. In this work, we present distributions of the depth of air-shower maximum, �max, using profiles measured with the fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The analysis is based on the Phase I data collected from 01 December 2004 to 31 December 2021.
The �max measurements take advantage of an improved evaluation of the vertical aerosol optical depth and reconstruction of the shower profiles. We present the energy dependence of the mean and standard deviation of the �max distributions above 10^(17.8) eV. Both �max moments are corrected for detector effects and interpreted in terms of the mean logarithmic mass and variance of the masses by comparing them to the predictions of post-LHC hadronic interaction models. We
corroborate our earlier findings regarding the change of the elongation rate of the mean �max at 10^(18.3) eV with higher significance. We also confirm, with four more years of data compared to the last results presented in 2019, that around the ankle in the cosmic rays spectrum, the proton component gradually disappears and that intermediate mass nuclei dominate the composition at ultra-high energies. Keywords: ultra-high energy cosmic rays, Pierre Auger Observatory, protons, surface detector Published in RUNG: 23.01.2024; Views: 1017; Downloads: 8 Full text (1,16 MB) This document has many files! More... |
2. Reconstruction of muon number of air showers with the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory using neural networksSteffen Traugott Hahn, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: To understand the physics of cosmic rays at the highest energies, it is mandatory to have an accurate knowledge of their mass composition. Since the mass of the primary particles cannot be measured directly, we have to rely on the analysis of mass-sensitive observables to gain insights into this composition. A promising observable for this purpose is the number of muons at the ground relative to that of an air shower induced by a proton primary of the same energy and inclination angle, commonly referred to as the relative muon number �μ. Due to the complexity of shower footprints, the extraction of �μ from measurements is a challenging task and intractable to solve using analytic approaches. We, therefore, reconstruct �μ by exploiting the spatial and temporal information of the signals induced by shower particles using neural networks. Using this data-driven approach permits us to tackle this task without the need of modeling the underlying physics and, simultaneously, gives us insights into the feasibility of such an approach.
In this contribution, we summarize the progress of the deep-learning-based approach to estimate �μ using simulated surface detector data of the Pierre Auger Observatory. Instead of using single architecture, we present different network designs verifying that they reach similar results. Moreover, we demonstrate the potential for estimating �μ using the scintillator surface detector
of the AugerPrime upgrade. Keywords: ultra-high energy cosmic rays, Pierre Auger Observatory, AugerPrime, surface detector Published in RUNG: 23.01.2024; Views: 1098; Downloads: 7 Full text (939,38 KB) This document has many files! More... |
3. Mass composition from 3 EeV to 100 EeV using the depth of the maximum of air-shower profiles estimated with deep learning using surface detector data of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryJonas Glombitza, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: We present a new analysis for estimating the depth of the maximum of air-shower profiles, �max, to investigate the evolution of the ultra-high-energy cosmic ray mass composition from 3 to 100 EeV. We use a recently developed deep-learning-based technique for the reconstruction of �max from the data of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. To avoid systematic uncertainties arising from hadronic interaction models in the simulation of surface detector data, we calibrate the new reconstruction technique with observations of the fluorescence detector. Using the novel analysis, we have a 10-fold increase of statistics at � > 5 EeV with respect to fluorescence detector data. We are able, for the first time, to study the evolution of the mean and standard deviation of the �max distributions up to 100 EeV.
We find an excellent agreement with fluorescence observations and confirm the increase of the mean logarithmic mass ⟨ln(�)⟩ and a decrease of the �max fluctuations with energy. The �max measurement at the highest — so far inaccessible — energies is consistent with a pure mass composition and a mean logarithmic mass of around ∼ 3 (estimated using the Sibyll 2.3d and the EPOS-LHC hadronic interaction models). Furthermore, with the increase in statistics, we find indications for a structure beyond a constant elongation rate in the evolution of �max. Keywords: ultra-high energy cosmic rays, Pierre Auger Observatory, surface detector, flourescence detector Published in RUNG: 22.01.2024; Views: 1192; Downloads: 7 Full text (992,98 KB) This document has many files! More... |
4. Investigations of a novel energy estimator using deep learning for the surface detector of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryFiona Ellwanger, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: Exploring physics at energies beyond the reach of human-built accelerators by studying cosmic rays requires an accurate reconstruction of their energy. At the highest energies, cosmic rays are indirectly measured by observing a shower of secondary particles produced by their interaction in the atmosphere. At the Pierre Auger Observatory, the energy of the primary particle is either
reconstructed from measurements of the emitted fluorescence light, produced when secondary particles travel through the atmosphere, or shower particles detected with the surface detector at the ground. The surface detector comprises a triangular grid of water-Cherenkov detectors that measure the shower footprint at the ground level. With deep learning, large simulation data sets can be used to train neural networks for reconstruction purposes.
In this work, we present an application of a neural network to estimate the energy of the primary particle from the surface detector data by exploiting the time structure of the particle footprint.
When evaluating the precision of the method on air shower simulations, we find the potential to significantly reduce the composition bias compared to methods based on fitting the lateral signal distribution. Furthermore, we investigate possible biases arising from systematic differences between simulations and data. Keywords: ultra-high energy cosmic rays, Pierre Auger Observatory, surface detector, neural network Published in RUNG: 22.01.2024; Views: 1065; Downloads: 5 Full text (1,78 MB) This document has many files! More... |
5. Status and performance of the underground muon detector of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryJoaquín De Jesús, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The Pierre Auger Observatory, located in Malargüe, Argentina, is the largest facility for the detection of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and has been operating successfully for nearly 20 years. For its second phase of operation, the Observatory is undergoing a major upgrade, called AugerPrime, to increase its sensitivity to the primary mass. As part of the upgrade, the Underground Muon
Detector is being deployed in the low-energy extension of the Surface Detector. It consists of an array of 30 m^2 plastic scintillator muon counters buried 2.3m underground in the vicinity of the water-Cherenkov detectors. This will allow a direct measurement of the muonic component of air showers in the energy range 1016.5 eV to 1019 eV, contributing significantly to the discrimination of the primary mass and to the testing of hadronic interaction models. In this contribution, the deployment status and performance of the Underground Muon Detector are presented. Keywords: surface detector, Pierre Auger Observatory, AugerPrime, underground muon detector Published in RUNG: 22.01.2024; Views: 1233; Downloads: 6 Full text (15,44 MB) This document has many files! More... |
6. The time evolution of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryOrazio Zapparrata, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory, consisting of 1660 water Cherenkov tanks, has been in operation for nearly 20 years. During this long period of data acquisition, ageing
effects in the detector response have been observed. The temporal evolution of the signals recorded by the surface detector is mostly compensated by continuous calibration with atmospheric muons;
however, effects persist in the signal rise time and in high-level data analysis using neural networks. We have implemented a detailed description of the time evolution of the detector response and of
the uptimes of individual stations in GEANT4-based detector simulations. These new simulations reproduce the observed time dependencies in the data. Using air-shower simulations that take
into account the evolution of individual stations, we show that the reconstructed energy is stable at the sub-percent level, and its resolution is affected by less than 5% in 15 years. For a few
specific stations, the collected light produced by muons has decreased to the point where it is difficult to distinguish it from the electromagnetic background in the calibration histograms. The
upgrade of the Observatory with scintillator detectors mitigates this problem: by requiring a coincidence between the water-Cherenkov and scintillator detectors, we can enhance the muon relative contribution to the calibration histogram. We present the impact and performance of this coincidence calibration method. Keywords: surface detector, Pierre Auger Observatory, neural networks, air-shower simulations Published in RUNG: 22.01.2024; Views: 1179; Downloads: 5 Full text (743,29 KB) This document has many files! More... |
7. AugerPrime surface detector electronicsA. Abdul Halim, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: Operating since 2004, the Pierre Auger Observatory has led to major advances in our
understanding of the ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. The latest findings have revealed new insights that led to the upgrade of the Observatory, with the primary goal of obtaining information on the primary mass of the most energetic cosmic rays on a shower-by-shower basis. In the framework of the upgrade, called AugerPrime, the 1660 water-Cherenkov detectors of the surface array are equipped with plastic scintillators and radio antennas, allowing us to enhance the composition sensitivity. To accommodate new detectors and to increase experimental capabilities, the electronics
is also upgraded. This includes better timing with up-to-date GPS receivers, higher sampling
frequency, increased dynamic range, and more powerful local processing of the data. In this paper, the design characteristics of the new electronics and the enhanced dynamic range will be described. The manufacturing and test processes will be outlined and the test results will be discussed. The calibration of the SD detector and various performance parameters obtained from the analysis of the first commissioning data will also be presented. Keywords: ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, Pierre Auger Observatory, AugerPrime detector upgrade, surface detector array, surface detector electronics Published in RUNG: 18.10.2023; Views: 1888; Downloads: 6 Full text (2,07 MB) This document has many files! More... |
8. Operations of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryR. Caruso, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2022, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The construction of the first stage of the Pierre Auger Observatory, designed for research of ultra-high energy cosmic rays, began in 2001 with a prototype system. The Observatory has been collecting data since early 2004 and was completed in 2008. The Observatory is situated at 1400 m above sea level near Malargüe, (Mendoza province) in western Argentina, covering a vast plain of 3000 squared km, known as the Pampa Amarillo. The Observatory consists of a hybrid detector, in which there are 1660 water-Cherenkov stations, forming the Surface Detector (SD) and 27 peripheral atmospheric fluorescence telescopes, comprising the Fluorescence Detector (FD). Over time, the Auger Observatory has been enhanced with different R&D prototypes and is recently being to an important upgrade called AugerPrime. In the present contribution, the general operations of the SD and FD will be described. In particular the FD shift procedure - executable locally in Malargüe or remotely by teams in control rooms abroad within the Collaboration - and the newly SD shifts (operating since 2019) will be explained. Additionally, the SD and FD maintenance campaigns, as well as the data taking and data handling at a basic level, will be reported Keywords: Pierre Auger Observatory, AugerPrime, indirect detection, fluorescence detectors, surface detectors, ultra-high energy, cosmic rays, detector operation Published in RUNG: 04.10.2023; Views: 1655; Downloads: 5 Full text (6,83 MB) This document has many files! More... |
9. Analysis of Data from Surface Detector Stations of the AugerPrime UpgradeÁlvaro Taboada, 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 (PAO), ultra-high energy cosmic rays, AugerPrime upgrade of the PAO, Scintillator Surface Detector (SSD), Water-Cherenkov Detectors (WCDs), AugerPrime data analysis Published in RUNG: 21.12.2020; Views: 2983; Downloads: 67 Full text (2,56 MB) |
10. Estimating the Depth of Shower Maximum using the Surface Detectors of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryCarlos José Todero Peixoto, 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, ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR), extensive air showers, Auger Surface Detector (SD) array, depth
of shower maximum Published in RUNG: 21.12.2020; Views: 2886; Downloads: 68 Full text (850,78 KB) |