Abstract
The Pierre Auger Observatory is an international facility dedicated to the full-sky study of the highest-energy cosmic rays. The southern site of the Auger Observatory was completed in June 2008. Data collected since January 2004 have yielded important information on the energy spectrum, the primary particle composition, the fluxes of photons and neutrinos and on the anisotropic distribution of the arrival directions of the most energetic particles. On this basis, the scientific motivation for the northern Auger Observatory site in Colorado, USA, is discussed. The overall layout, the key components and the expected performance of this 20 000 km2 hybrid observatory comprised of an array of 4400 surface detectors and 39 fluorescence telescopes are described.
Highlights
We derive the updated scientific motivation for the long-standing plan to achieve full-sky coverage with the Pierre Auger Observatory, and we present the technical layout of the northern site (Auger North) in south-east Colorado, USA
We show the degree of correlation with objects in the Veron–Cetty and Veron (VCV) catalogue as a function of the total number of time-ordered events
The scientific challenge is to follow up the open questions in at least four topics in astroparticle physics: (i) in the astrophysics of the extragalactic sources of the most energetic particles, (ii) in the understanding of the nature of particles that can be nuclei, photons or neutrinos, (iii) in the determination of cosmic structures in a wide sense, including matter, radiation fields and magnetic fields, and (iv) in studying ultra-high energy (UHE) interactions in air showers at energies that are not accessible with man-made accelerators
Summary
The propagation of protons and heavier nuclei through the cosmic background radiation fields has received much attention recently. Non-acceleration scenarios UHE cosmic rays are produced in decays of super-heavy objects such as super-heavy dark matter or topological defects All of these models postulate new particle physics and predict typically high gamma-ray fluxes at UHE. The southern site of the Auger Observatory with its 1.5 km triangular spacing and an area of 3000 km will be able to measure accurately the spectrum and composition from below 1 EeV to about 100 EeV in the anticipated 10–15 years of operation. To further improve these capabilities, instrumental enhancements are currently being installed close to the Coihueco FD station. The operation of Auger South, the performance of detector systems and the instrumental enhancements for the future, including Auger North, are described in [29]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
