The Auger Engineering Radio Array and multi-hybrid cosmic ray detection

E M Holt

doi:10.1088/1742-6596/718/5/052019

Abstract

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) aims at the detection of air showers induced by high-energy cosmic rays. As an extension of the Pierre Auger Observatory, it measures complementary information to the particle detectors, fluorescence telescopes and to the muon scintillators of the Auger Muons and Infill for the Ground Array (AMIGA). AERA is sensitive to all fundamental parameters of an extensive air shower such as the arrival direction, energy and depth of shower maximum. Since the radio emission is induced purely by the electromagnetic component of the shower, in combination with the AMIGA muon counters, AERA is perfect for separate measurements of the electrons and muons in the shower, if combined with a muon counting detector like AMIGA. In addition to the depth of the shower maximum, the ratio of the electron and muon number serves as a measure of the primary particle mass.

Highlights

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is a modern radio experiment for the detection of cosmic ray air showers
Results from AERA AERA was built for several different purposes: to improve the understanding of the radio emission mechanisms, for cosmic ray physics in the transition region between galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays, and to test the feasibility of a large-scale radio array for the highest energies
Probing the theory of radio emission The different radio-emission mechanisms produce differently polarized radio emission – linearly polarized from the geomagnetic effect and radial polarized towards the shower axis from the Askaryan effect

Summary

Introduction

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is a modern radio experiment for the detection of cosmic ray air showers. The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) aims at the detection of air showers induced by high-energy cosmic rays. As an extension of the Pierre Auger Observatory, it measures complementary information to the particle detectors, fluorescence telescopes and to the muon scintillators of the Auger Muons and Infill for the Ground Array (AMIGA). In addition to the depth of the shower maximum, the ratio of the electron and muon number serves as a measure of the primary particle mass.

Results

Conclusion