Feasibility of Correlated Extensive Air Shower Detection with a Distributed Cosmic-Ray Network

Abstract

We explore the sensitivity offered by a global network of cosmic-ray detectors to a novel, unobserved phenomenon: widely separated simultaneous extended air showers. Existing localized observatories work independently to observe individual showers, offering insight into the source and nature of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays. However no current observatory is large enough to provide sensitivity to anticipated processes such as the Gerasimova–Zatsepin effect or potential new physics that generate simultaneous air showers separated by hundreds to thousands of kilometers. A global network of consumer electronics (the Cosmic Rays Found In Smartphones (CRAYFIS) experiment), may provide a novel opportunity for observation of such phenomena. Two user scenarios are explored. In the first, with maximal user adoption, we find that statistically significant discoveries of spatially separated but coincident showers are possible within a couple years. In the second, more practical adoption model with 106 active devices, we find a worldwide CRAYFIS to be sensitive to novel “burst” phenomena where many simultaneous extensive air showers (EAS) occur at once.