At the Doorway to UHE Cosmic Ray Astronomy—Recent Results from the Pierre Auger Observatory—

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.-H. Kampert ◽  
Felix A. Aharonian ◽  
Werner Hofmann ◽  
Frank Rieger ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 2773-2777
Author(s):  
M. Kleifge ◽  
H. Gemmeke

2019 ◽  
Vol 210 ◽  
pp. 05007
Author(s):  
Kevin-Druis Merenda ◽  

The research horizons of the Pierre Auger Cosmic-Ray Observatory widened when the collaboration found exotic (atmospheric) phenomena in both its Fluorescence Detector (FD) and Surface Detector (SD). The Cosmology and Geophysics task force of the Auger Collaboration focused some of its attention on these highly energetic events, which are correlated to some of the most intense convective thunderstorm systems in the world. In this proceeding, we compare the signal of these exotic events and the signal of cosmic rays, as seen in the FD and the SD. The FD has triggered on numerous transient luminous events, dubbed “elves" since their first observation in 2005. The SD observed peculiar events with radially expanding footprints, which are correlated with lightning strikes reconstructed by the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). The traced signals of both of these atmospheric events last longer in time than cosmic ray signals. The footprints are much larger; typically more SD stations (or more FD pixels) contribute to the observations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 210 ◽  
pp. 02015
Author(s):  
Sofia Andringa ◽  

The average profiles of cosmic ray shower development as a function of atmospheric depth are measured for the first time with the Fluorescence Detectors at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The profile shapes are well reproduced by the Gaisser-Hillas parametrization at the 1% level in a 500 g/cm2 interval around the shower maximum, for cosmic rays with log(E/eV) > 17.8. The results are quantified with two shape parameters, measured as a function of energy. The average profiles carry information on the primary cosmic ray and its high energy hadronic interactions. The shape parameters predicted by the commonly used models are compatible with the measured ones within experimental uncertainties. Those uncertainties are dominated by systematics which, at present, prevent a detailed composition analysis.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 251-253
Author(s):  
Vitor de Souza ◽  
Peter L. s Biermman

AbstractIn this paper we briefly discuss the present status of the cosmic ray astrophysics under the light of the new data from the Pierre Auger Observatory. The measured energy spectrum is used to test the scenario of production in nearby radio galaxies. Within this framework the AGN correlation would require that most of the cosmic rays are heavy nuclei and are widely scattered by intergalactic magnetic fields.


2019 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 02001
Author(s):  
Bianca Keilhauer

The Pierre Auger Observatory for detecting ultrahigh energy cosmic rays has been founded in 1999. After a main planning and construction phase of about five years, the regular data taking started in 2004, but it took another four years until the full surface detector array was deployed. In parallel to the main detectors of the Observatory, a comprehensive set of instruments for monitoring the atmospheric conditions above the array was developed and installed as varying atmospheric conditions influence the development and detection of extensive air showers. The multitude of atmospheric monitoring installations at the Pierre Auger Observatory will be presented as well as the challenges and efforts to run such instruments for several decades.


Universe ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dariusz Góra ◽  

The Pierre Auger Observatory is the world’s largest operating detection system for the observation of ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), with energies above 10 17 eV. The detector allows detailed measurements of the energy spectrum, mass composition and arrival directions of primary cosmic rays in the energy range above 10 17 eV. The data collected at the Auger Observatory over the last decade show the suppression of the cosmic ray flux at energies above 4 × 10 19 eV. However, it is still unclear if this suppression is caused by the energy limitation of their sources or by the Greisen–Zatsepin–Kuzmin (GZK) cut-off. In such a case, UHECRs would interact with the microwave background (CMB), so that particles traveling long intergalactic distances could not have energies greater than 5 × 10 19 eV. The other puzzle is the origin of UHECRs. Some clues can be drawn from studying the distribution of their arrival directions. The recently observed dipole anisotropy has an orientation that indicates an extragalactic origin of UHECRs. The Auger surface detector array is also sensitive to showers due to ultra high energy neutrinos of all flavors and photons, and recent neutrino and photon limits provided by the Auger Observatory can constrain models of the cosmogenic neutrino production and exotic scenarios of the UHECRs origin, such as the decays of super heavy, non-standard-model particles. In this paper, the recent results on measurements of the energy spectrum, mass composition and arrival directions of cosmic rays, as well as future prospects are presented.


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