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A. Chou

Publications and source records attributed to A. Chou.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2011

Advanced functionality for radio analysis in the Offline software framework of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The advent of the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) necessitates the development of a powerful framework for the analysis of radio measurements of cosmic ray air showers. As AERA performs "radio-hybrid" measurements of air shower radio emission in coincidence with the surface particle detectors and fluorescence telescopes of the Pierre Auger Observatory, the radio analysis functionality had to be incorporated in the existing hybrid analysis solutions for fluoresence and surface detector data. This goal has been achieved in a natural way by extending the existing Auger Offline software framework with radio functionality. In this article, we lay out the design, highlights and features of the radio extension implemented in the Auger Offline framework. Its functionality has achieved a high degree of sophistication and offers advanced features such as vectorial reconstruction of the electric field, advanced signal processing algorithms, a transparent and efficient handling of FFTs, a very detailed simulation of detector effects, and the read-in of multiple data formats including data from various radio simulation codes. The source code of this radio functionality can be made available to interested parties on request.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2010

Update on the correlation of the highest energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic matter

Data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory through 31 August 2007 showed evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays above the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min energy threshold, \nobreak{$6\times 10^{19}$eV}. The anisotropy was measured by the fraction of arrival directions that are less than $3.1^\circ$ from the position of an active galactic nucleus within 75 Mpc (using the Véron-Cetty and Véron $12^{\rm th}$ catalog). An updated measurement of this fraction is reported here using the arrival directions of cosmic rays recorded above the same energy threshold through 31 December 2009. The number of arrival directions has increased from 27 to 69, allowing a more precise measurement. The correlating fraction is $(38^{+7}_{-6})%$, compared with $21%$ expected for isotropic cosmic rays. This is down from the early estimate of $(69^{+11}_{-13})%$. The enlarged set of arrival directions is examined also in relation to other populations of nearby extragalactic objects: galaxies in the 2 Microns All Sky Survey and active galactic nuclei detected in hard X-rays by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. A celestial region around the position of the radiogalaxy Cen A has the largest excess of arrival directions relative to isotropic expectations. The 2-point autocorrelation function is shown for the enlarged set of arrival directions and compared to the isotropic expectation.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2009

The Fluorescence Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Pierre Auger Observatory is a hybrid detector for ultra-high energy cosmic rays. It combines a surface array to measure secondary particles at ground level together with a fluorescence detector to measure the development of air showers in the atmosphere above the array. The fluorescence detector comprises 24 large telescopes specialized for measuring the nitrogen fluorescence caused by charged particles of cosmic ray air showers. In this paper we describe the components of the fluorescence detector including its optical system, the design of the camera, the electronics, and the systems for relative and absolute calibration. We also discuss the operation and the monitoring of the detector. Finally, we evaluate the detector performance and precision of shower reconstructions.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2009

Operations of and Future Plans for the Pierre Auger Observatory

Technical reports on operations and features of the Pierre Auger Observatory, including ongoing and planned enhancements and the status of the future northern hemisphere portion of the Observatory. Contributions to the 31st International Cosmic Ray Conference, Lodz, Poland, July 2009.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2009

Upper limit on the cosmic-ray photon fraction at EeV energies from the Pierre Auger Observatory

From direct observations of the longitudinal development of ultra-high energy air showers performed with the Pierre Auger Observatory, upper limits of 3.8%, 2.4%, 3.5% and 11.7% (at 95% c.l.) are obtained on the fraction of cosmic-ray photons above 2, 3, 5 and 10 EeV (1 EeV = 10^18 eV) respectively. These are the first experimental limits on ultra-high energy photons at energies below 10 EeV. The results complement previous constraints on top-down models from array data and they reduce systematic uncertainties in the interpretation of shower data in terms of primary flux, nuclear composition and proton-air cross-section.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2005

Aperture calculation of the Pierre Auger Observatory surface detector

We determine the instantaneous aperture and integrated exposure of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory, taking into account the trigger efficiency as a function of the energy, arrival direction (with zenith angle lower than 60 degrees) and nature of the primary cosmic-ray. We make use of the so-called Lateral Trigger Probability function (or LTP) associated with an extensive air shower, which summarizes all the relevant information about the physics of the shower, the water tank Cherenkov detector, and the triggers.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2005

The trigger system of the Pierre Auger Surface Detector: operation, efficiency and stability

The trigger system of the Surface Detector (SD) of the Pierre Auger Observatory is described, from the identification of candidate showers ($E>1$ EeV) at the level of a single station, among a huge background (mainly single muons), up to the selection of real events and the rejection of random coincidences at a higher central trigger level (including the reconstruction accuracy). Efficiency of a single station trigger is evaluated using real data , and the high performance of event selection hierarchy will be demonstrated.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1997

Critical Points and Phase Transitions in 5D Compactifications of M-Theory

We study critical points of the BPS mass $Z$, the BPS string tension $Z_m$, the black hole potential $V$ and the gauged central charge potential $P$ for M-theory compactified on Calabi-Yau three-folds. We first show that the stabilization equations for $Z$ (determining the black hole entropy) take an extremely simple form in five dimensions as opposed to four dimensions. The stabilization equations for $Z_m$ are also very simple and determine the size of the infinite $adS_3$-throat of the string. The black hole potential in general exhibits two classes of critical points: supersymmetric critical points which coincide with those of the central charge and non-supersymmetric critical points. We then generalize the discussion to the entire extended Kähler cone encompassing topologically different but birationally equivalent Calabi-Yau three-folds that are connected via flop transitions. We examine behavior of the four potentials to probe the nature of these phase transitions. We find that $V$ and $P$ are continuous but not smooth across the flop transition, while $Z$ and its first two derivatives, as well as $Z_m$ and its first derivative, are continuous. This in turn implies that supersymmetric stabilization of $Z$ and $Z_m$ for a given configuration takes place in at most one point throughout the entire extended Kähler cone. The corresponding black holes (or string states) interpolate between different Calabi-Yau three-folds. At the boundaries of the extended Kähler cone we observe that electric states become massless and/or magnetic strings become tensionless.

hep-th↗