31. Beam Test Results of the ISS-CREAM CalorimeterH.G. Zhang, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2022, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass experiment for the International Space Station (ISS-CREAM) was installed on the ISS to measure high-energy cosmic-ray elemental spectra for the charge range Z=1 to 26. The ISS-CREAM instrument includes a tungsten scintillating-fiber calorimeter preceded by carbon targets for energy measurements. The carbon targets induces hadronic interactions, and showers of secondary particles develop in the calorimeter. The calorimeter was calibrated with electron beams at CERN. This beam test included position, energy, and angle scans of electron and pion beams together with a high-voltage scan for calibration and characterization. Additionally, an attenuation effect in the scintillating fibers was studied. In this paper, beam test results, including corrections for the attenuation effect, are presented. Keywords: ISS-CREAM, calorimeter, particle accelerator, CERN, electron beam, direct detection, cosmic rays, energy spectrum, composition Published in RUNG: 26.09.2023; Views: 665; Downloads: 4 Full text (1003,73 KB) This document has many files! More... |
32. 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: 709; Downloads: 8 Full text (2,39 MB) This document has many files! More... |
33. 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: 1385; Downloads: 7 Link to full text This document has many files! More... |
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35. e/p separation study using the ISS-CREAM top and bottom counting detectorsS. C. Kang, Y. Amarea, D. Angelaszek, N. Anthony, G. H. Choi, M. Chung, M. Copley, L. Derome, L. Eraud, C. Falana, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2019, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass for the International Space Station (ISS-CREAM) is an experiment for studying the origin, acceleration, and propagation mechanisms of high-energy cosmic rays. The ISS-CREAM instrument was launched on the 14th of August 2017 to the ISS aboard the SpaceX-12 Dragon spacecraft. The Top and Bottom Counting Detectors (TCD/BCD) are parts of the ISS-CREAM instrument and designed for studying electron and gamma-ray physics. The TCD/BCD each consist of an array of 20 × 20 photodiodes on a plastic scintillator. The TCD/BCD can separate electrons from protons by using the difference between the shapes of electromagnetic and hadronic showers in the high energy region. The Boosted Decision Tree (BDT) method, which is a deep learning method, is used in this separation study. We will present results of the electron/proton separation study and rejection power in various energy ranges. Keywords: instrumentations, high energy cosmic rays, particle detectors, composition Published in RUNG: 08.02.2021; Views: 2277; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |
36. 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: 2337; Downloads: 69 Full text (749,44 KB) |
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38. Composition Measurements via Depth of Airshower Maximum at the Telescope ArrayJon Paul Lundquist, W. Hanlon, 2018, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: Telescope Array (TA) was designed to answer important questions about the UHECR flux with energies above 10^17 eV such as spectrum, arrival direction, and mass composition. Because the UHECR flux is rapidly falling in this energy region, TA’s large exposure makes it one of the few experiments in the world that can adequately explore these issues. Composition is particularly difficult to measure because mass can not be measured directly due to the low flux. TA’s multiple methods of observing UHECR induced air showers will be explained, as well as how composition can be measured by these methods. Good agreement among the different measurement techniques is found leading to greater confidence in measuring UHECR mass composition and a way to test and understand TA systematic uncertainties. Keywords: UHECR, cosmic rays, composition Published in RUNG: 29.04.2020; Views: 2590; Downloads: 103 Full text (758,27 KB) |
39. Telescope Array Composition SummaryW. Hanlon, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2018, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: Ultra high energy cosmic ray (UHECR) chemical composition is
important to resolving questions about the locations of UHECR
sources and propagation models. Because composition can only be
deduced by a process of statistical inference via the observation of air shower maxima (Xmax), UHECR observatories with large data
collection rates must be employed to reduce statistical
fluctuations. Telescope Array (TA), the largest cosmic ray
observatory in the Northern Hemisphere, is designed to answer the
question of UHECR composition, as well as other important features
of cosmic ray flux, by combining a large array of over 500
scintillation surface detectors spread over 700 km^2, and three
fluorescence detector stations overlooking the array. With eight
years of data recorded, results of the measurements of UHECR
composition will be presented. UHECR composition is traditionally
measured by comparing the first and second moments of the
distributions of shower maxima, which evolves with energy, between
data and simulations. Reducing statistical fluctuations in the data
helps to distinguish between different primary elements in the
flux. In the current generation of cosmic ray observatories, UHECR
data sets are large enough, and statistical uncertainties are now
small enough, that we can safely distinguish between very light
primary source flux (i.e., protons) and heavy flux (i.e.,
iron). Reducing systematic uncertainties is also important though,
since large systematic shifts in air shower maxima will influence
the interpretation of the data when compared to models. TA therefore employs different methods of measuring Xmax, including stereo air fluorescence, air fluorescence-surface counter hybrid, and a new technique using only surface counters. Updated results of TA hybrid composition among the different methods are presented using up to eight years of data. Agreement among all TA hybrid composition results are shown as well as detailed systematic errors which can be further explored by comparing composition results of the different measurement methods. Comparison of TA Xmax data are
compared to different composition models as well. Keywords: UHECR, Cosmic rays, composition Published in RUNG: 29.04.2020; Views: 2491; Downloads: 83 Full text (499,33 KB) |
40. Depth of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray Induced Air Shower Maxima Measured by the Telescope Array Black Rock and Long Ridge FADC Fluorescence Detectors and Surface Array in Hybrid ModeR.U. Abbasi, Jon Paul Lundquist, 2018, original scientific article Abstract: The Telescope Array (TA) observatory utilizes fluorescence detectors and surface detectors (SDs) to observe air showers produced by ultra high energy cosmic rays in Earth's atmosphere. Cosmic-ray events observed in this way are termed hybrid data. The depth of air shower maximum is related to the mass of the primary particle that generates the shower. This paper reports on shower maxima data collected over 8.5 yr using the Black Rock Mesa and Long Ridge fluorescence detectors in conjunction with the array of SDs. We compare the means and standard deviations of the observed Xmax distributions with Monte Carlo Xmax distributions of unmixed protons, helium, nitrogen, and iron, all generated using the QGSJet II-04 hadronic model. We also perform an unbinned maximum likelihood test of the observed data, which is subjected to variable systematic shifting of the data Xmax distributions to allow us to test the full distributions, and compare them to the Monte Carlo to see which elements are not compatible with the observed data. For all energy bins, QGSJet II-04 protons are found to be compatible with TA hybrid data at the 95% confidence level after some systematic Xmax shifting of the data. Three other QGSJet II-04 elements are found to be compatible using the same test procedure in an energy range limited to the highest energies where data statistics are sparse. Keywords: acceleration of particles, astrochemistry, astroparticle physics, cosmic rays, elementary particles, UHECR, composition Published in RUNG: 27.04.2020; Views: 3128; Downloads: 0 This document has many files! More... |