Cosmic Ray Research Research Articles

A novel design for 100 meter-scale water attenuation length measurement and monitoring

Water Cherenov detector is a vital part in most of neutrino or cosmic ray research. As detectors grow in size, the water attenuation length (WAL) becomes increasingly essential for detector performance. It is essential to measure or monitor the WAL. There are two ways to measure WAL, one is to take a water sample from the detector and measure it in the WAL measurement device, and the other is to put the device directly into the water Cherenkov detector. For the device in the water, the Super-Kamiokande experiment achieved WAL measurement capability near 100 meters with a moving light source up and down. A novel system has been proposed to address the challenge of investigating long WAL. This system focuses on ample water Cherenkov detectors and features a fixed light source and photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) at varying distances, eliminating the need for moving parts. Each component, including LED, diffuse ball, PMTs, and fibers, is introduced to explain uncertainty control. Based on lab tests, the measurement uncertainty of each PMT channel has been controlled within 5%. Additionally, camera technology is also used during the evaluation of the system uncertainty, which has the potential to replace PMTs in the future for this measurement. Monte Carlo simulations have shown that the system can achieve a 5% uncertainty at WAL of 80 meters and 8% at WAL of 100 meters. This system can be used in experiments with large Cherenkov detectors such as JUNO-water veto and Hyper-K.

Neusa Amato and her contributions about cosmic ray research in Brazil

Este artigo investiga a trajetória e as contribuições de Neusa Amato para a física brasileira em diálogo com os estudos de gênero e ciência. Neusa Amato, uma das pioneiras na pesquisa com emulsões nucleares no Brasil, teve um papel fundamental na institucionalização da física no país, especialmente no estudo de raios cósmicos e física de partículas. Utilizando uma metodologia baseada em levantamento de literatura secundária, bem como uma entrevista concedida por Neusa ao Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas (CBPF), construímos uma narrativa histórica que destaca a importância de suas publicações e sua liderança no Laboratório de Emulsões Nucleares do CBPF e na Colaboração Brasil-Japão (CBJ). A análise também enfoca os desafios enfrentados por Neusa como mulher cientista em um campo dominado por homens, sublinhando as barreiras de gênero que marcaram sua carreira. Este trabalho contribui para uma historiografia da ciência no Brasil ao trazer à luz a relevância das contribuições de Neusa Amato para a institucionalização da física brasileira.

EAS Cherenkov LDF Analysis: CORSIKA Simulations for Tunka-133 and Chacaltaya Arrays

This study leverages CORSIKA simulations to analyze the Lateral Distribution Function (LDF) of Cherenkov photons in Extensive Air Showers (EAS) within the knee region of the cosmic ray energy spectrum (10^15 - 10^16 eV). Focusing on primary particles like helium, proton, oxygen, and iron nuclei at varying zenith angles (0˚, 20˚, and 45˚), we aimed to reconstruct Cherenkov photons' LDF using an Exponential Function model, tailored as a function of primary energy. Our approach involved a comparative analysis of simulated LDFs with experimental data from the Tunka-133 and Chacaltaya arrays. The results exhibit a high degree of concordance between simulated and observed data, affirming the validity of our method. We developed a set of approximation functions for different primary particles and zenith angles, enhancing our ability to identify the particle type in EAS events and accurately determine its energy. The primary contribution of our work lies in its potential to rapidly compile a comprehensive LDF pattern library, instrumental for analyzing real EAS array events and reconstructing the mass composition and primary cosmic ray energy spectrum. This advancement in CORSIKA-based simulation methods marks a significant stride in cosmic ray research, offering a robust tool for detailed EAS analysis.Highlights : Validation of Simulation Accuracy: Demonstrated high concordance between CORSIKA simulated LDFs and experimental data from Tunka-133 and Chacaltaya arrays. Enhanced Particle Identification: Development of approximation functions for various primary particles and zenith angles, improving accuracy in identifying particle types in EAS events. Advancement in Cosmic Ray Research: Potential to create a comprehensive LDF pattern library, significantly aiding in the reconstruction of mass composition and primary cosmic ray energy spectrum. Keywords : CORSIKA Simulations, Cherenkov LDF, EAS Analysis, Cosmic Ray Spectrum, Particle Identification

The all-particle energy spectrum of cosmic rays from 10 TeV to 1 PeV measured with HAWC

The HAWC observatory is an air-shower detector, which is designed to study both astrophysical gamma-rays in the TeV region and galactic cosmic rays in the energy interval from 1 TeV to 1 PeV. This energy regime is interesting for cosmic ray research, since indirect observations overlap with direct measurements, which offers the opportunity for cross calibration and studies of experimental systematic errors in both techniques. One quantity that could help for this purpose is the all-particle energy spectrum of cosmic rays. In this work, we present an update of HAWC measurements on the total cosmic-ray energy spectrum between 10 TeV and 1 PeV. The spectrum was obtained from an unfolding analysis of almost two years of HAWC’s data, which was collected from January, 2018 to December, 2019. For the energy estimation, we employed the high-energy hadronic interaction model QGSJET-II-04. As in a previous work of HAWC, published in 2017, we observed the presence of a knee-like feature in the region of tens of TeV.

Living With Cosmic Radiation

AbstractThe last two decades of cosmic ray research have been eventful, to say the least. The Voyager spacecraft explored the outer‐most regions of the heliosphere and eventually left our local astrosphere to explore the galaxy. At the same time, the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft, amongst many other exciting recent missions, is exploring the inner‐most regions of the heliosphere and probing the source of the solar wind. I have been lucky enough to experience these paradigm‐shifting observations as a post‐graduate student and thereafter as a young researcher. In this paper, I give a firsthand account of the last two decades' cosmic ray research from the perspective of a young researcher from South Africa.

Godfrey Harry Stafford. 15 April 1920—29 July 2013

Godfrey Harry Stafford's career as a physicist began with research in cosmic rays in the 1940s and he lived to see the discovery in 2012 of the Higgs boson at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. He made major contributions to the construction and exploitation of accelerators at the Rutherford Laboratory in the UK and was its director from 1969 to 1981. During this period he oversaw the diversification of the laboratory into the multi-disciplinary centre it is today. He was master of St Cross College, Oxford, from 1979 to 1987 and president of the Institute of Physics from 1986 to 1988. He was a major supporter of physics as an international activity: he was a founder member of the European Physical Society in 1968 and its president 1984–86, and he had significant links with CERN that spanned 25 years.

The synergy of the cosmic ray and high energy atmospheric physics: Particle bursts observed by arrays of particle detectors

Particle bursts detected on the earth's surface during thunderstorms by various particle detectors originated from the relativistic runaway electron avalanches (RREAs) initiated by free electrons accelerated in the strong atmospheric electric fields. Two oppositely directed dipoles in the thundercloud accelerate electrons in the direction of the earth's surface, and to the open space. The particle bursts observed by orbiting gamma ray observatories are called terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs, with energies of several MeV, only sometimes reaching tens of MeV); ones registered by particle detectors located on the ground – are called thunderstorm ground enhancements (TGEs, with energies, usually reaching 40-50 MeV). Balloons and aircraft in the troposphere register gamma ray glows (with energies of several MeV). Recently, high-energy atmospheric physics includes also, so-called, downward TGFs (DTGFs), intense particle bursts with a duration of a few milliseconds.Well-known extensive air showers (EASs) originate from the interactions of galactic protons and fully-stripped nuclei with the atmosphere atoms. EAS particles have very dense cores around the shower axes. However, high-energy particles in the EAS cores comprise a very thin disc of (a few tens of ns), and a particle detector traversed by an EAS core will not register a particle burst, but only one very large pulse. Only neutron monitor, by collecting delayed thermal neutrons from EAS core particle interactions with soil, can register particle bursts. We discuss the relation between short particle bursts available from the largest particle arrays with EAS phenomena. We demonstrate that the neutron monitors can extend the EAS “lifetime” up to a few milliseconds, a time comparable with DTGFs duration. The possibility to use the network of neutron monitors for high-energy cosmic ray research is also deliberated.Plain Language Summary: Short and extended particle bursts are registered in space, the troposphere, and the earth's surface. Coordinated monitoring of the particle fluxes, near-surface electric fields, and lightning flashes makes it possible to formulate a hypothesis on the origin of intense bursts and their relation to extensive air showers and atmospheric discharges. Analysis of the observational data and possible origination scenarios of particle bursts allows us to conclude that the bursts can be explained by the electron acceleration in the thunderous atmosphere and by gigantic showers developed in the terrestrial atmosphere by high-energy protons and fully-stripped nuclei accelerated in Galaxy.

Cosmic-Ray Research at the TAIGA Astrophysical Facility: Results and Plans

Cosmic-Ray Research at the TAIGA Astrophysical Facility: Results and Plans

Optimal focal curve of spherical mirrors used in a high resolution UV-A spectrograph

The present study concerns the determination of the optimal focal curve of the reflected beam from a spherical mirror. This study has been used in a stigmatic high resolution UV-A spectrograph operating in UV-A region. As a light source we have used a low pressure air discharged lamp while the light detector was a cooled CCD camera with a resolution of 1600×1200 pixels. Locating it on the optimal position along the useful spectral range allows us to exploit the full resolution provided by the spectrograph. An analytical expression of the focal curve has been derived as a function of the main geometrical parameters of the spectrograph and the focusing spherical mirror. A set of experimental validation tests have been performed recording several band heads and the associated molecular rotational lines of nitrogen provided by the lamp. The obtained result has been used in high resolution spectroscopy relevant to air fluorescence yield determination in Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray research.

Preface

The 16th SIAM PHYSICS CONGRESS (SPC2021) B Chatthong1,a, C Buranachai1,b, P Kalasuwan1,c, S Rakkapao1,d, C Putson1,e, B Soonthornthum2,3,f,g and S Aukkaravittayapun2,3,f,h 1Division of Physical Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University,Songkhla, Thailand 2Thai Physics Society, Chiang Mai, Thailand 3National Astronomical Research Institute, Chiang Mai, ThailandEmail: aboonyarit.ch@psu.ac.th, bchittanon.b@psu.ac.th, cpruet.k@psu.ac.th, dsuttida.r@psu.ac.th, echatchai.p@psu.ac.th, fthaiphysoc@gmail.com, gboonrucksar@narit.or.th, hsuparerk.a@narit.or.thThe 16th Siam Physics Congress (SPC2021) was successfully held 100% online during May 24-25, 2021. Initially, the Thai Physics Society and Prince of Songkla University had planned to co-host the SPC2021 in Songkhla province in Southern part of Thailand via hybrid form. Unfortunately, due to the rise of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic cases in Thailand, the organizing committee had considered that physical conference would no longer be possible, and made 100% online decision. This is to keep up to the highest standard of health regulation and self-practice (from WHO) in avoiding the extremely serious pandemic. Consequently, the Thai Physics Society and Prince of Songkla University had facilitated and hosted the SPC2021 as national teleconference during May 24-25, 2021.This year, we had 185 research abstracts and papers submitted for both oral and poster online presentations. There were 1 plenary speaker, 25 invited speakers, 76 oral presentations, 83 poster presentations, and 99 full papers submitted for possible publication in all 21 tracks(topics). The scientific program was announced on the SPC2021 website (https://spc2021.sci.psu.ac.th/) and also distributed via email to all participants. The SPC2021 oral sessions were held via Zoom video conference. Participants can join online sessions either by using their individual Zoom account. The Zoom’s chat channel as well as professional management such as co-hosting the Zoom room from the host-side were employed to alleviate some glitches (e.g. delayed or unclear signals due to slow internet connection from the client-side). In addition, the chat channel was also used for exchanging contact details for further detailed discussion about the presentation.The online opening ceremony and plenary talk was live-broadcasted via Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University official Facebook page and YouTube account. After the online opening ceremony, a plenary talk entitled “Exploring the Universe with neutrinos and gravitational waves” by Professor Takaaki Kajita, 2015 Nobel Laureate in Physics from Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, was given to the audience of approximately 200 participants. The oral presentations were arranged into 3 parallel Zoom rooms in total of 16 sessions. Each invited speaker was allowed 30-minute presentation while regular presenter had 15 minutes including questions and answers. The online audience-size of each room varied between 30 and 60 people. The poster presentations were uploaded onto the SPC2021 Indico website (https://indico.cern.ch/event/973315/), where only registered participants could access. In addition, all participants can login, access all abstracts as well as presentation materials, and submit the full paper.List of Editorial Materials, Logos are available in this pdf.

NEVOD — An experimental complex for multi-component investigations of cosmic rays and their interactions in the energy range 1–1010 GeV

The Experimental Complex (EC) NEVOD includes a number of detectors used to carry out basic research of cosmic rays (CR) and their interactions in the energy range 1011–1019 eV and applied research of the heliosphere, magnetosphere and atmosphere of the Earth by the muonography method which is based on the analysis of spatial-angular variations of the muon flux generated by primary CR particles with energies of 10^9–10^11 eV. The EC NEVOD is being constantly developed. Nowadays, it consists of three basic groups of experimental facilities unique in the world: the major facilities (Cherenkov water detector NEVOD, calibration telescope system — CTS, coordinate-tracking detector DECOR), the peripheral facilities (extensive air shower array NEVOD-EAS, distributed thermal neutron detector systems PRISMA and URAN), the muon hodoscopes for cosmophysical and geophysical investigations (TEMP and URAGAN). All detectors and installations of the first two groups are combined by a multilevel triggering system and the time synchronization system ensuring timestamping of registered multicomponent events. Today, the Experimental Complex NEVOD is the only facility capable of studying such a wide set of fundamental and applied scientific problems in the field of cosmic rays and solar-terrestrial physics.

UVscope and its application aboard the ASTRI-Horn telescope

UVscope is an instrument, based on a multi-pixel photon detector, developed to support experimental activities for high-energy astrophysics and cosmic ray research. The instrument, working in single photon counting mode, is designed to directly measure light flux in the wavelengths range 300-650 nm. The instrument can be used in a wide field of applications where the knowledge of the nocturnal environmental luminosity is required. Currently, one UVscope instrument is allocated onto the external structure of the ASTRI-Horn Cherenkov telescope devoted to the gamma-ray astronomy at very high energies. Being co-aligned with the ASTRI-Horn camera axis, UVscope can measure the diffuse emission of the night sky background simultaneously with the ASTRI-Horn camera, without any interference with the main telescope data taking procedures. UVscope is properly calibrated and it is used as an independent reference instrument for test and diagnostic of the novel ASTRI-Horn telescope.

Possibilities of the Tunka-Grande and TAIGA-Muon scintillation arrays with the TAIGA-HiSCORE Cherenkov array joint operation in the research of cosmic and gamma rays

The Tunka-Grande scintillation array is part of the TAIGA Gamma Observatory. It is intended for investigation of energy spectrum and mass composition of primary cosmic rays in the energy range 10 PeV–10 EeV and the search for diffuse cosmic gamma rays. The TAIGA-HiSCORE Cherenkov array aims at observing gamma-rays with the energy from 1 TeV. TAIGA-Muon low-threshold scintillation detector array is a network of surface and underground detectors for registration charge particles of EAS. Currently, 3 clusters have been deployed. The first cluster is running in test mode. It is planed that in the future the total area of the TAIGA-Muon will be about 2000 sq. m. and it will search astrophysical gamma-rays in the energy range from 100 TeV together with the Tunka-Grande scintillation array and the Cherenkov experiments of the TAIGA Gamma Observatory. To evaluate the possibility of join operation Tunka-Grande, TAIGA-Muon and TAIGA-HiSCORE, a simulation was performed using the CORSIKA and Geant4 software packages. The status of model-based studies is presented and assessed the prospects for joint operation of the arrays.

Method of Gravitational Wave Search Based on Adaptive Time-Frequency Analysis and Machine Learning

In simple terms, gravitational waves are ripples in space-time caused by energetic processes in the Universe, such as the movement of mass. One of the exciting things about them is that they can be used to observe systems that are basically impossible to detect using other means. These ripples were predicted by Albert Einstein almost a century ago, but it wasn't until 2016 that scientists announced, for the first time, the detection of gravitational waves. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is the physics experiment responsible for this detection and it has since continued to make a significant impact in the field. LIGO collaborates closely with the Virgo interferometer; a large interferometer designed to detect gravitational waves, and the Japanese Gravitational Wave Detector in Kamioka Mine (KAGRA), the Large Scale Cryogenic Gravitational Wave Telescope; a project of the gravitational wave studies group led by the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research of The University of Tokyo. But there still remain many unknowns, such as challenges related to the data analysis of gravitational waves. Professor Hirotaka Takahashi is carrying out research on gravitational waves that is attempting to address these challenges by developing algorithms that can dramatically increase the speed and efficiency of gravitational wave searches, which he believes are currently insufficient. Takahashi is a member of the KAGRA collaboration, which, as of March 2020, consists of more than 390 researchers from 90 institutions in 14 countries and regions.

Up‐and‐down journeys: The making ofLatinAmerica's uniqueness for the study of cosmic rays

In 1942, American Nobel Prize-winning physicist Arthur Compton pointed out that, “Because in this field of cosmic ray studies certain unique advantages are given by their geographical position, this field of physics has been especially emphasized in South America.” This paper seeks to interrogate the making of Latin America's uniqueness with respect to cosmic-ray research through an analysis that considers Compton's geographical argument, but also goes beyond it, referring to the interactions of nature, knowledge, practices, scientific communities, and diplomacy. To begin with, it highlights the place-based strategies and practices associated with cosmic-ray research. Once research in the field at different altitudes demonstrated that cosmic rays traveled from outer space to the Earth surface, their nature was scrutinized by expeditions that covered broad vertical and horizontal expanses. The study of cosmic rays in Latin America displayed the mobilization of that strategy, which reinforced the reliability of certain sites located at high altitudes and close to the geomagnetic equator in projected investigations. Moreover, such analysis of cosmic rays involved research practices in the field, the emergence of (local, regional, or international) research traditions, and the creation of spaces of knowledge at different scales. By centering on the interaction of knowledge and place, this paper shows that an exploration of the “up-and-down journeys” of cosmic-ray research in Latin America expands our understanding of the geographies and practices of 20th-century physics.

TRASGOS: Towards a New Standard for the Regular Measurement of Cosmic Rays

Abstract: A new family of high accuracy multitracking detectors called TRASGOs, sensitive to both electrons and muons is proposed for multidisciplinary cosmic ray research. The corresponding tools for monitoring, tracking, event reconstruction and analysis are being developed. The present status of the project is presented and discussed.

Preface

Masayuki Nakahata and Masatake Ohashi Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, the University of TokyoHigashi-Mozumi, Kamioka-cho, Hida-shi, Gifu-ken, Japan, 506-1205nakahata@suketto.icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jp, ohashi@icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jpThe 16th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP 2019) was held in Toyama, Japan, from September 9th through 13th, 2019. The biennial TAUP series covers recent experimental and theoretical developments in astroparticle physics by invited plenary review talks and parallel workshop sessions of invited and contributed presentations, as well as poster sessions. The 2019 edition of the conference was hosted by the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research of the University of Tokyo, and held in Toyama, which is the gateway city to the Kamioka experimental site.List of Committees, Plenary Sessions, Parallel Sessions, Poster Session and conference photographs are available in this pdf.

History of Atmospheric Cosmic Ray Research at the National Bureau of Standards.

In the late 1930s, a team of physicists from the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) published eight papers on the investigation of cosmic rays in the atmosphere. Payloads launched with weather balloons, also known as radiosondes, were equipped with sensors to measure temperature, relative humidity, pressure, and radiation dose. A battery-operated telemetry system was used to continuously transmit at 60 MHz to a base station. They measured the radiation dose profiles of cosmic radiation in the atmosphere up to 21 km. Calibration of the Geiger-Müller counters with a standard radium source allowed them to calculate a radiation dose rate at an altitude corresponding to 10 kPa that was 180 times the dose rate near sea level in Washington, DC. Ascents in Washington, DC (latitude 39 degrees) and Lima, Peru (near equator) allowed them to demonstrate the effects of Earth’s magnetic field on incident galactic cosmic rays; the dose rate in Peru was only half that in Washington, DC.

Intrinsic linearity of bakelite Resistive Plate Chambers operated in streamer mode

Abstract Resistive Plate Chambers have largely been used in High Energy Physics and Cosmic Ray research. In view of using this detector for calorimetry applications it is important to know the maximum measurable particle density, or its intrinsic linearity limit, which is tightly related to the dimension of the discharge region. In this paper we report the results of measurements performed at the Beam Test Facility (INFN National Laboratory of Frascati, Italy) where the intrinsic linearity of bakelite RPCs operated in streamer mode has been tested at different impinging particle densities.

Open Questions in Cosmic-Ray Research at Ultrahigh Energies

We review open questions and prospects for progress in ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) research, based on a series of discussions that took place during the `The High-Energy Universe: Gamma-Ray, Neutrino, and Cosmic-ray Astronomy' MIAPP workshop in 2018. Specifically, we overview open questions on the origin of the bulk of UHECRs, the UHECR mass composition, the origin of the end of the cosmic-ray spectrum, the transition from Galactic to extragalactic cosmic rays, the effect of magnetic fields on the trajectories of UHECRs, anisotropy expectations for specific astrophysical scenarios, hadronic interactions, and prospects for discovering neutral particles as well as new physics at ultrahigh energies. We also briefly present upcoming and proposed UHECR experiments and discuss their projected science reach.