Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2014
Volume 59, Number 5
Saturday–Tuesday, April 5–8, 2014; Savannah, Georgia
Session K8: Astroparticle Observatories and Techniques |
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Sponsoring Units: DAP Chair: Kohta Murase, Institute for Advanced Study Room: 202 |
Sunday, April 6, 2014 1:30PM - 1:42PM |
K8.00001: Extreme Energy Particles with JEM-EUSO Angela V. Olinto The origin of the highest energy cosmic rays is still a great mystery. Recent observations have confirmed the extragalactic origin of cosmic rays above tens of EeV, whose sources should be among the most powerful extragalactic objects. The spectrum shows the effect of propagation from cosmological distances or possibly the maximum energy reach of cosmic accelerators. The lack of significant anisotropies and a possible change of composition are surprising. Not a single source of these extremely energetic events has been identified. To identify the sources a significant increase in statistics is necessary. The pioneering Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO) on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) of the International Space Station, JEM-EUSO, will detect a large number of extreme energy cosmic rays finally leading to an identification of these mysterious extreme accelerators. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 6, 2014 1:42PM - 1:54PM |
K8.00002: EUSO-BALLOON: a Pathfinder for the Extreme Universe Space Observatory Mission Jim Adams, Peter Von Ballmoos, Andrea Santangelo, Mark Christl, Lawrence Weincke EUSO-BALLOON is a pathfinder for the JEM-EUSO (Extreme Universe Space Observatory on the Japanese Experiment Module) mission which is being developed by an international collaboration of scientists from 15 countries. JEM-EUSO is designed to observe Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray-induced air showers by measuring the fluorescent and Cherenkov light they emit in the near ultraviolet. Video clips of the showers will be recorded and used to reconstruct the energies and arrival directions of the cosmic rays. EUSO-BALLOON will demonstrate the key JEM-EUSO technologies and techniques including an infrared camera to characterize the atmosphere. It will be flown on stratospheric balloons by the French Space Agency, CNES. The first flight will be in the summer of 2014. The instrument will point to the nadir from an altitude of about 40 km recording both showers and background transient luminous events. EUSO-BALLOON will monitor a 12 by 12 degree field of view. It is currently being integrated and tested at IRAP in Toulouse. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 6, 2014 1:54PM - 2:06PM |
K8.00003: Greenland Neutrino Observatory (GNO): A New Detector for Ultra-high Energy Neutrinos Abigail Vieregg Neutrinos travel virtually unimpeded through the universe, making them unique messenger particles for cosmic sources and carrying information about very distant sources that would otherwise be unavailable. The observation of ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrinos (E $>10^{18}$eV) would also allow a measurement of weak interaction couplings at center of mass energies well beyond that of the LHC and reveal the origin of the highest energy cosmic rays. We are planning to deploy a new array of radio detectors for UHE neutrinos near the surface of the ice at Summit Station in Greenland, a year-round NSF station that sits atop 3 km of ice at the height of the Greenland plateau. The full array will have the sensitivity required to discover neutrinos produced through the so-called GZK process (the interaction of the highest energy cosmic rays with cosmic microwave background photons) even in the most pessimistic of models and will detect $\sim10$ events per year at the high-energy portion (E $>10^{15}$eV) of the observed IceCube astrophysical neutrino spectrum with sub-degree pointing resolution. We are planning to deploy our first module in the summer of 2014. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 6, 2014 2:06PM - 2:18PM |
K8.00004: Cerenkov Events Seen by The TALE Air Fluorescence Detector T. AbuZayyad, Z. Zundel, J.D. Smith, S.B. Thomas, D. Ivanov, J.N. Mathews, C.C.H. Jui, G. Thomson The Telescope Array Low-Energy Extension (TALE) is designed to study cosmic rays at energies above 30 PeV. The TALE FD is comprised of 10 telescopes covering the elevation range 31-58$^{\circ}$ and 14 telescopes with elevation coverage of 3-31$^{\circ}$. A subset of the shower events recorded by TALE are ones for which the Cerenkov light produced by the shower particles dominates the total observed light signal. We have investigated the feasibility of using these events for cosmic rays measurements. With this data, the low energy reach of the TALE detector can be extended down to $\sim$ 5 PeV. The use of the Cerenkov events collected by an FD represents {\it a new approach} to the measurement of cosmic rays at energies above the knee and below 100 PeV. By leveraging a detector built for the purpose of observing cosmic rays at higher energies, this technique adds to the capability of the detector and provides a cost effective way to view an energy region that has thus far been inaccessible to Air Fluorescence detectors. We will report on a first measurement by TALE of the cosmic rays energy spectrum in the energy range of 5 - 100 PeV. Since we are using a newly deployed detector, and we are looking at a new type of event, this result is very preliminary. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 6, 2014 2:18PM - 2:30PM |
K8.00005: Telescope Array Radar (TARA) Remote Station Design and Development Samridha Kunwar The TARA project is a novel attempt utilizing a bi - static radar configuration in conjunction with a set of conventional cosmic ray detectors in the low - noise environment in Millard County, Utah, to detect Ultra - High Energy Cosmic Ray induced Extensive Air Showers. We present the design and development of the remote radar receiver system using a technique where the Doppler-shifted reflected signal off of the ionization trail from the cosmic ray is de - chirped. The approach is based on an analog frequency mixing technique whereby the input signal is mixed with a delayed copy of itself i.e $s(t)\otimes s(t - \tau)$, resulting in a beat frequency, $f$, which is proportional to the delay time multiplied by the cosmic ray-induced RF chirp rate. With appropriate filtering, the problem of chirp detection is ultimately reduced to that of detecting the down - converted monotone. In contrast to conventional signal processing via digital matched filtering, this is a mostly analog data acquisition system and has lower power consumption at a cost which is also comparatively inexpensive. The remote station is also subject to less radio interference, and adds stereoscopic measurement capabilities which allows unique determination of cosmic ray geometry and core location. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 6, 2014 2:30PM - 2:42PM |
K8.00006: Radio Emission from an Electron Shower in a Dielectric in the Presence of a Magnetic Field Stephanie Wissel, Konstantin Belov Several new experiments employ the radio technique to detect ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. The dominant component of the radio-frequency radiation arises from synchrotron emission due to the interaction of the cosmic ray's air shower particles with the Earth's magnetic field. Secondary, but non-negligible, radiation arises from the build up of a charge asymmetry in the shower. We present measurements from the SLAC T-510 experiment in which we bombard a polyethylene target (n=1.5) in a magnetic field (up to a few kiloGauss) with a few GeV electron beam. Antennas in bands ranging between 30-300 MHz and 300-1200 MHz map out the radio emission in bands relevant for ground arrays and balloon-borne experiments such as ANITA. The data presented here serve to calibrate models of radio emission, ZHAires and CoREAS, by providing a suite of controlled, accelerator-based measurements. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 6, 2014 2:42PM - 2:54PM |
K8.00007: Optical and Ionization Basic Cosmic Ray Detector Julian Felix, Diego A. Andrade, Aurora C. Araujo, Luis Arceo, Carlos A. Cervantes, Jorge A. Molina, Luz R. Palacios There are drift tubes, operating in the Geiger mode, to detect ionization radiation and there are Cerenkov radiation detectors based on photomultiplier tubes. Here is the design, the construction, the operation and the characterization of a hybrid detector that combines both a drift tube and a Cerenkov detector, used mainly so far to detect cosmic rays. The basic cell is a structural Aluminum 101.6 cm-long, 2.54 cm X 2.54 cm-cross section, 0.1 cm-thick tube, interiorly polished to mirror and slightly covered with TiCO$_{2}$, and filed with air, and Methane-Ar at different concentrations. There is a coaxial 1 mil Tungsten wire Au-coated at $+$700 to $+$1200 Volts electronically instrumented to read out in both ends; and there is in each end of the Aluminum tube a S10362-11-100U Hamamatsu avalanche photodiode electronically instrumented to be read out simultaneously with the Tungsten wire signal. This report is about the technical operation and construction details, the characterization results and potential applications of this hybrid device as a cosmic ray detector element. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 6, 2014 2:54PM - 3:06PM |
K8.00008: Comparative Analysis of Cherenkov Light Detectors in an Oil Drum Rexavalmar Niduaza, Zachary Wedel, Juan Castro, Favian Zavala, Sewan Fan, Laura Fatuzzo The multi-pixel photon counters (MPPC) has been used in a number of research development in astro-particle physics and particle physics. In an effort to further implement the MPPC detector, we constructed a modular experimental setup using a 16-inch tall acrylic cylinder filled with distilled water as the light producing medium to determine its feasibility as a possible detector for weak Cherenkov light. We have since progressed towards utilizing an oil drum (approximately 30 gallons) as our light-tight container replacing our prototype. In this talk, we would discuss the results regarding our investigation utilizing 1-inch and 3-inch photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs) in an oil drum as we did for our prototype. We would also present our experimental findings comparing our prototype and our oil drum setup using PMTs in coincidence with the MPPC coupled with wavelength-shifting fibers that are submerged in distilled water inside the oil drum vessel. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 6, 2014 3:06PM - 3:18PM |
K8.00009: Analysis of Silicon Photomultiplier Detector Waveforms from Cosmic Rays using Digital Signal Processing Techniques Juan Castro, Favian Zavala, Rexavalmar Niduaza, Zachary Wedel, Sewan Fan, Stefan Ritt, Laura Fatuzzo Silicon photomultiplier detectors exhibit high gain, low operating voltage, are insensitive to magnetic fields, and can detect light at the single photon level, making them very attractive for applications in fields such as particle physics, astrophysics, and medical physics. However, they exhibit effects that may prevent their optimal operation, including thermally induced high dark count rate, after pulse effects, and cross talk produced from photons in nearby pixels. In this presentation, we describe our coincidence setup using two scintillator pads and a Hamamatsu multipixel photon counter (MPPC) to gather cosmic ray produced signal pulses, and our methods of analysis for the detector waveforms. In particular, we discuss our methods of digitization, software implementation of low pass and Gaussian type filters, and the application of a domino ring sampler (DRS4) digitizing board to obtain signal waveforms to determine the operating characteristics for these detectors. [Preview Abstract] |
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