Abstract
With the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) located at the Pierre Auger Observatory, radio emission of extensive air showers is observed. To exploit the physics potential of AERA, electric-field amplitude measurements with the radio detector stations need to be well-calibrated on an absolute level. A convenient tool for far-field calibration campaigns is a flying drone. Here we make use of an octocopter to place a calibrated source at freely chosen positions above the radio detector array. Special emphasis is put on the reconstruction of the octocopter position and its accuracy during the flights. The antenna response pattern of the radio detector stations was measured in a recent calibration campaign. Results of these measurements are presented and compared to simulations. It is found that measurements and simulations are in good agreement.
Highlights
To be able to do high precision measurements of ultra-high energy cosmic rays with the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) [1, 2] at the Pierre Auger Observatory [3], the radio detector needs to be well-calibrated
We present a novel and very flexible method using a flying drone to carry the signal source
The core consists of a dense array of 24 stations equipped with log-periodic dipole antennas (LPDA)
Summary
To be able to do high precision measurements of ultra-high energy cosmic rays with the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) [1, 2] at the Pierre Auger Observatory [3], the radio detector needs to be well-calibrated. Different calibration methods have been developed and already performed at AERA [4] and other experiments [5,6,7]. In this contribution, we present a novel and very flexible method using a flying drone to carry the signal source. The core consists of a dense array of 24 stations equipped with log-periodic dipole antennas (LPDA). They consist of nine separate dipoles optimized for a frequency range of 30 to 80 MHz. The other stations are equipped with butterfly antennas.
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