51. Constraining models for the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays with spectrum, composition, and arrival direction data measured at the Pierre Auger ObservatoryTeresa Bister, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The distribution of cosmic-ray arrival directions shows a better agreement with models in which a fraction of the flux is associated with catalogs of nearby source candidates, such as starburst galaxies, than with isotropy. To investigate this further, we use a novel approach, fitting simultaneously the energy spectrum, distributions of shower maxima, and arrival directions at the highest
energies measured with the Pierre Auger Observatory. The astrophysical model consists of homogeneously distributed background sources as well as an adaptable contribution from nearby source candidates. Propagation effects and a rigidity-dependent magnetic field blurring are taken into account, producing a rising level of anisotropy with the energy. We demonstrate that a model containing a flux fraction of around 20% from the starburst galaxy catalog at 40 EeV, with a hard, nitrogen-dominated injection spectrum, provides a good description of the data. By investigating a scenario with Cen A as a single source in combination with the homogeneous background, we
show that this region of the sky provides the dominant part to the observed anisotropy signal. Models based on jetted active galactic nuclei whose cosmic-ray flux scales with the gamma-ray emission are disfavored. The modeled energy evolution of the arrival directions, the spectra of individual sources, as well as the statistical significance of the results, including the influence of experimental systematic effects, will be discussed in this contribution.
Keywords: anisotropies, Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high energy cosmic-rays, arrival directions
Published in RUNG: 22.01.2024; Views: 1791; Downloads: 5
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52. An update on the arrival direction studies made with data from the Pierre Auger ObservatoryGeraldina Golup, Andrej Filipčič, Jon Paul Lundquist, Shima Ujjani Shivashankara, Samo Stanič, Serguei Vorobiov, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, 2023, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The search for anisotropies in the arrival directions of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays plays a key role in the efforts to understand their origin. The observed first-harmonic modulation in right ascension above 8 EeV, detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory with a current significance of 6.9�, suggests an extragalactic origin above this energy. Furthermore, there are indications, at the ∼4� significance level, of anisotropies at intermediate angular scales, which are obtained when comparing the arrival directions against the distribution of potential sources from astrophysical catalogs, in particular that of nearby starburst galaxies, and around the Centaurus region. In this contribution, we present the status of the different searches for anisotropies at small, intermediate
and large angular scales. We use the latest available data set, with 19 years of operation that has yielded 135,000 km^2 yr sr of accumulated exposure, covering the sky at declinations from −90◦ to
45◦. At small and intermediate scales, we report updates of the all-sky blind search for localized excesses, the study around the Centaurus region, and the likelihood analysis with catalogs of
candidate sources. We have also studied the regions of the sky from which the Telescope Array Collaboration has reported hints of excesses in their data and we find no significant effects in
the same directions with a data set of comparable size. At large angular scales, the dipolar and quadrupolar amplitudes in energy bins are updated. We discuss the prospects of these searches,
both in regards to increases in statistics and in relation to the future inclusion of event-by-event mass estimators in these analyses through the upgrade of the Observatory, AugerPrime.
Keywords: anisotropies, Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high energy cosmic-rays, arrival directions
Published in RUNG: 22.01.2024; Views: 1675; Downloads: 7
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53. Depth of maximum of air-shower profiles : testing the compatibility of the measurements at the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope ArrayA. Abdul Halim, 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 (Auger) and the Telescope Array (TA), located, respectively, in the Southern and Northern hemispheres, are the largest ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) observatories. The Auger and TA Collaborations have collected unprecedented statistics providing us with a unique opportunity to search for the differences between the UHECR energy spectra and mass compositions in the complementary sky regions. To correctly attribute such differences to
the properties of the UHECR sources or propagation, the systematic effects in the measurements of each observatory should be considered properly. In this context, the task of the Auger – TA mass composition working group is to identify possible differences of astrophysical origin in the measurements of the depth of the maximum of air-shower profiles, X_max, performed at both observatories using the fluorescence technique. Due to distinct approaches to event selection and analysis atAuger and TA, theworking group uses a specially designed method to transfer the Auger X_max distributions into the TA detector. To this end, dedicated air-shower and detector simulations for the TA Black Rock Mesa and Long Ridge fluorescence detector stations were performed with the Sibyll 2.3d hadronic interaction model. From the comparison of the first two moments and the shapes of X_max distributions for energies above 10^18.2 eV, no significant differences between the Auger and TA measurements were found.
Keywords: Pierre Auger Observatory, Telescope Array, ultra-high energy cosmic rays, fluorescence detectors
Published in RUNG: 22.01.2024; Views: 1697; Downloads: 6
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54. Constraining models for the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays with a novel combined analysis of arrival directions, 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, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: The combined fit of the measured energy spectrum and shower maximum depth
distributions of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays is known to constrain the parameters of
astrophysical models with homogeneous source distributions. Studies of the distribution of
the cosmic-ray arrival directions show a better agreement with models in which a fraction of
the flux is non-isotropic and associated with the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A or with
catalogs such as that of starburst galaxies. Here, we present a novel combination of both
analyses by a simultaneous fit of arrival directions, energy spectrum, and composition data
measured at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The model takes into account a rigidity-dependent magnetic field blurring and an energy-dependent evolution of the catalog contribution shaped by interactions during propagation.
We find that a model containing a flux contribution from the starburst galaxy catalog
of around 20% at 40 EeV with a magnetic field blurring of around 20◦ for a rigidity of
10EV provides a fair simultaneous description of all three observables. The starburst galaxy
model is favored with a significance of 4.5σ (considering experimental systematic effects)
compared to a reference model with only homogeneously distributed background sources.
By investigating a scenario with Centaurus A as a single source in combination with the
homogeneous background, we confirm that this region of the sky provides the dominant
contribution to the observed anisotropy signal. Models containing a catalog of jetted active
galactic nuclei whose flux scales with the γ-ray emission are, however, disfavored as they
cannot adequately describe the measured arrival directions.
Keywords: ultra high energy cosmic rays, cosmic ray experiments, Pierre Auger Observatory, active galactic nuclei
Published in RUNG: 19.01.2024; Views: 1581; Downloads: 42
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55. 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: 2408; Downloads: 6
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56. Ultrahigh-Energy multi-messengers at the Pierre Auger ObservatoryFrancisco Pedreira, Andrej Filipčič, Gašper Kukec Mezec, Ahmed Saleh, Samo Stanič, Marta Trini, Serguei Vorobiov, Lili Yang, Danilo Zavrtanik, Marko Zavrtanik, Lukas Zehrer, 2019, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The study of correlations between observations of different messengers from extreme sources of the Universe has emerged as an outstanding way to make progress in astrophysics. The Pierre Auger Observatory is capable of significant contributions as an ultra-high energy particle detector, particularly through its capability to search for inclined showers produced by neutrinos. We describe the neutrino searches made with
the Observatory with particular emphasis on the recent results following the detections of
gravitational waves from binary mergers with Advanced LIGO and VIRGO, leading to competitive limits.
Keywords: ultra-high-energy (UHE) cosmic rays (CRs), Pierre Auger Observatory, UHE neutrinos, multi-messenger astrophysics
Published in RUNG: 11.10.2023; Views: 2540; Downloads: 7
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57. 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: 1982; Downloads: 11
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58. Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum with the Pierre Auger ObservatoryDaniela Mockler, 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: The flux of ultra-high energy cosmic rays above 3×10[sup]17 eV has been measured with unprecedented precision at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The flux of the cosmic rays is determined by four different measurements. The surface detector array provides three data sets, two formed by dividing the data into two zenith angle ranges, and one obtained from a nested, denser detector array. The fourth measurement is obtained with the fluorescence detector. By combining all four data sets, the all-sky flux of cosmic rays is determined. The spectral features are discussed in detail and systematic uncertainties are addressed.
Keywords: ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), Pierre Auger Observatory, UHECR energy spectrum
Published in RUNG: 11.10.2023; Views: 1708; Downloads: 10
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59. Status of the AugerPrime upgrade of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryNiraj Dhital, 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: The Pierre Auger Observatory has been very successful in determining many aspects of the highest-energy cosmic rays including, among others, the flux suppression at energies above
4 × 10[sup]19 eV, stringent upper limits on photon and neutrino fluxes at ultra-high energies and an unexpected evolution of the mass composition with energy.
We expect an extension of the frontiers of our knowledge on these aspects from a major
upgrade of the Observatory. The upgrade, known as AugerPrime, will include an addition
of a 4 sq. m Surface Scintillator Detector atop each water-Cherenkov station of the Surface
array. The new detectors will provide us with an unprecedented opportunity to perform
a complementary measurement of the shower particles and thus determine the primary
mass composition with good accuracy on an event-by-event basis. AugerPrime will also
include an upgrade of electronics, installation of the AMIGA Underground Muon Detector and a change of observation mode of the Fluorescence Detector, which will increase its current duty cycle by about 50%. Current status of the upgrade with the main focus on the Surface Scintillator Detectors will be presented, following a brief description of the physics motivation for the upgrade.
Keywords: ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), Pierre Auger Observatory, AugerPrime upgrade
Published in RUNG: 11.10.2023; Views: 2886; Downloads: 9
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60. 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: 1914; Downloads: 8
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