1. 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, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: 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. Keywords: Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, extensive air showers, UHECR mass composition Published in RUNG: 03.10.2024; Views: 431; Downloads: 5 Full text (507,88 KB) This document has many files! More... |
2. Astrophysical interpretation of energy spectrum and mass composition of cosmic rays as measured at the Pierre Auger ObservatoryEleonora Guido, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The combined interpretation of the spectrum and composition measurements plays a key role in the quest for the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). The Pierre Auger Observatory, thanks to its huge exposure, provides the most precise measurement of the energy spectrum of UHECRs and the most reliable information on their composition, exploiting the distributions of the depth of maximum of the showers in the atmosphere. A combined fit of a simple astrophysical model of UHECR sources to the spectrum and mass composition measurements is used to evaluate the constraining power of the data measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory on the source properties. We find that our data across
the “ankle” feature are well reproduced if two extragalactic populations of sources are considered, one emitting a very soft spectrum which dominates the region below the ankle, and the other taking over at energies above the ankle, with an intermediate mixed composition, a hard spectrum and a low rigidity cutoff. Interestingly, similar results can also be obtained if the medium-mass contribution at lower energy is provided by an additional galactic component. Keywords: Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high energy cosmic rays, UHECR energy spectrum, UHECR mass composition Published in RUNG: 24.01.2024; Views: 2128; Downloads: 10 Full text (381,66 KB) This document has many files! More... |
3. 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: 1578; Downloads: 40 Full text (573,28 KB) This document has many files! More... |
4. 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: 1846; Downloads: 11 Full text (128,28 KB) This document has many files! More... |
5. Results from the Pierre Auger ObservatoryEsteban Roulet, 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: Some of the results on ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays that have been obtained with the Pierre Auger Observatory are presented. These include measurements of the spectrum, composition and anisotropies. Possible astrophysical scenarios that account for these results are discussed. Keywords: ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), Pierre Auger Observatory, UHECR energy spectrum, UHECR anisotropies, UHECR mass composition Published in RUNG: 11.10.2023; Views: 1783; Downloads: 8 Full text (811,90 KB) This document has many files! More... |
6. Constraining the sources of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays across and above the ankle with the spectrum and composition data measured at the Pierre Auger ObservatoryA. Abdul Halim, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: In this work we present the interpretation of the energy spectrum and mass composition data as measured by the Pierre Auger Collaboration above 6 × 10[sup]17 eV. We use an astrophysical model with two extragalactic source populations to model the hardening of the cosmic-ray flux at around 5 × 10[sup]18 eV (the so-called "ankle" feature) as a transition between these two components. We find our data to be well reproduced if sources above the ankle emit a mixed composition with a hard spectrum and a low rigidity cutoff. The component below the ankle is required to have a very soft spectrum and a mix of protons and intermediate-mass nuclei. The origin of this intermediate-mass component is not well constrained and it could originate from either Galactic or extragalactic sources. To the aim of evaluating our capability to constrain astrophysical models, we discuss the impact on the fit results of the main experimental systematic uncertainties and of the assumptions about quantities affecting the air shower development as well as the propagation and redshift distribution of injected ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). Keywords: ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, Pierre Auger Observatory, extensive air showers, UHECR propagation, UHECR energy spectrum, UHECR mass composition Published in RUNG: 18.08.2023; Views: 1648; Downloads: 11 Full text (2,39 MB) This document has many files! More... |
7. Recent results from the Pierre Auger ObservatorySerguei Vorobiov, 2022, published scientific conference contribution abstract (invited lecture) Abstract: Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are mostly protons and heavier nuclei arriving on Earth from space and producing particle cascades in the atmosphere, ”extensive air showers”. As of today, the most precise and high-statistics data set of the rare (≤ 1 particle per sq.km per year above 10[sup]19 eV) UHECR events is obtained by the Pierre Auger Observatory, a large area (~3000 sq.km) hybrid detector in Argentina. The Auger Observatory determines the arrival directions and energies of the primary UHECR particles and provides constraints for their masses.
In this talk, I will present and discuss the recent results, including the detailed measurements of the cosmic-ray energy spectrum features, the study of the anisotropies in the UHECR arrival directions at large and intermediate angular scales, the multi-messenger searches, and the inferred cosmic-ray mass composition. Finally, the progress of the current upgrade of the Observatory, "AugerPrime" which is aimed at improving the sensitivity to the mass composition of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, will be presented. Keywords: ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, Pierre Auger Observatory, UHECR mass composition, energy spectrum, anisotropies, AugerPrime upgrade Published in RUNG: 23.12.2022; Views: 2287; Downloads: 9 Link to full text This document has many files! More... |
8. Mass Composition of Cosmic Rays with Energies above 10[sup]17.2 eV from the Hybrid Data of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryAlexey Yushkov, 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), UHECR hybrid detection, UHECR mass composition Published in RUNG: 21.12.2020; Views: 3078; Downloads: 74 Full text (749,44 KB) |
9. Results from the Pierre Auger ObservatoryIvan De Mitri, Andrej Filipčič, Samo Stanič, Darko Veberič, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2015, published scientific conference contribution Keywords: Pierre Auger Observatory, Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR), UHECR energy spectrum, UHECR mass composition Published in RUNG: 27.06.2017; Views: 5083; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
10. Astroparticles at the High Energy Frontier: Results from the Pierre Auger ObservatoryGonzalo Parente, Andrej Filipčič, Ahmed Saleh, Samo Stanič, Darko Veberič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2014, published scientific conference contribution Keywords: Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR), UHECR energy spectrum, mass composition, anisotropies Published in RUNG: 20.06.2017; Views: 5791; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |