arXiv subjects

Edwin Dickinson

Publications and source records attributed to Edwin Dickinson.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Reconstruction of anomalous air showers with SKA-Low

Double-bump showers are a surprising class of extensive air showers (EAS) predicted by Monte Carlo simulations, which, so far, no experiment has been able to directly detect. They occur when a high-energy secondary particle, the leading particle, travels significantly farther than the rest, creating a distinct double-peaked longitudinal profile. The unique radio footprint of double-bump showers, characterized by multiple pulses in the signals and interference patterns in the frequency spectra, enables reconstruction of longitudinal profiles from radio observations. With its dense antenna array and broad frequency range, SKA-Low will be the first observatory capable of detecting these features, offering a new opportunity to probe hadronic interactions and use the distinctive signatures of elements to provide new mass composition measurements. The goal of this analysis is to take the first steps toward using these radio signatures to reconstruct the relevant parameters of the longitudinal profile of a double-bump shower. We will start by explaining the radio signal of double-bump}showers compared to that of average showers. Then we will create a simple 2-point emission model to explain the interference patterns in the frequency spectra, which can be inverted to obtain rudimentary estimates of atmospheric depth of both peaks. Lastly, we implement a brute-force approach to reconstruct multiple parameters of the double bump.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Beyond $X_\mathrm{max}$ : Reconstructing Air Shower Profiles with Information Field Theory with SKA-Low

While radio measurements of extensive air showers have shown to achieve a high precision of $X_\mathrm{max}$ sensitivity, it has been shown that parameters beyond $X_\mathrm{max}$ can also be reconstructed. These shape parameters contain additional sensitivity to the hadronic physics in the shower as well as its mass composition. In this work, we showcase a reconstruction framework to recover the full longitudinal profile from realistic radio measurements. The framework is based on Information Field Theory that infers the full profile with a forward-based model, which uses a Gaisser-Hillas profile with weakly informative shower priors, SMIET with a template library to synthesise pulses at any event geometry, and a realistic antenna response and noise level emulating that of SKA-Low. We verify the self-consistency of our framework with $\sim 900$ events generated with SMIET with antennas placed on the $\vec{v} \times (\vec{v} \times \vec{B})$ axis. The framework recovers the full profile within uncertainty and capture correlations between shower parameters. We yield an $X_\mathrm{max}$ resolution of $< 9$ g cm$^{-2}$ as well as resolutions of the width and asymmetry with minimal bias. The profile is also recovered with a bias of $< 4$% at all atmospheric depths $< 1200$ g cm$^{-2}$. We aim to apply this framework with pulses simulated from CoREAS with measured noise, ultimately extending the framework to realistic antenna layouts such as from LOFAR or SKA-Low.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

Anomalous Air Showers and What They Reveal About Hadronic Interactions and Cosmic-ray Masses

The identification of the sources and acceleration mechanisms of cosmic rays require precise measurements of their mass composition. Currently, the most reliable method is to measure the atmospheric depth at which cosmic ray air showers in our atmosphere reach their maximum (\Xmax). However, the hadronic interaction properties that govern the longitudinal development of air showers are not precisely known, which is a major source of systematic uncertainty on the mass composition. SKA-Low will observe cosmic rays in the 10$^{16}$ - 10$^{18}$ eV energy range with unprecedented resolution and bandwidth. This allows for a much more detailed reconstruction of the longitudinal shower evolution, which can be used to gain better understanding of the hadronic interactions, as well as the primary mass composition. After the first interaction of the cosmic ray with an atom in an air molecule, the secondary particles still carry a significant fraction of the total energy. When one of these particle travels very far before interacting again, it produces a sub-shower that can be recognized as a secondary bump in the longitudinal profile. Simulations have demonstrated that SKA-Low can resolve such double bump profiles by virtue of its high antenna density and broad bandwidth. In this chapter, we demonstrate how double-bump showers and other anomalous longitudinal developments can be used to constrain hadronic interaction properties, and to determine the mass composition of cosmic rays in the Galactic-to-extragalactic transition region.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Measuring High-Energy Cosmic Particles with the SKA

The origin of high-energy cosmic rays remain one of astrophysics' greatest unsolved mysteries. SKA-Low will be able to measure air showers initiated by cosmic rays with unprecedented precision in the PeV - EeV energy range, covering the critical transition region between Galactic and extragalactic sources. SKA-Low's densely instrumented core and broad bandwidth will allow for measurements of individual air showers with a level of detail unmatched by any existing or planned detector. The depth of shower maximum, the primary mass-sensitive observable, will be reconstructed with a resolution of better than 8~g/cm$^2$, a significant improvement over existing methods. Additionally, new reconstruction methods are expected to enable full air shower reconstruction across a wide energy range, down to PeV levels. At these energies, efficient photon/hadron separation may offer an opportunity to measure PeV gamma-ray air showers. Furthermore, SKA-Low opens a window into studying high-energy hadronic interactions, including via the unique channel of anomalous air showers. This combination of measurements provides a unique opportunity to investigate the origins and physics of high-energy cosmic rays. A dedicated particle detector array will provide triggered readout of raw antenna-level voltage buffers, enabling fully commensal cosmic-ray observations alongside regular operations. We outline our science case and discuss the observational strategy, signal properties and detector design underpinning these measurements. We also summarize the accompanying book chapters, which address composition measurements in the Galactic-to-extragalactic transition region, next-generation interferometric reconstruction techniques, hadronic interaction physics through anomalous air showers, the prospects for detecting PeV gamma-rays from Galactic sources, and the related project of imaging lightning using SKA-Low.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Interferometric Analysis of Air-shower Radio Emission in the Near Field with an Information Field Theory Approach

Current reconstruction techniques for air-shower radio emission generated by cosmic rays have shown great success, having been applied to several radio detectors over the last decade. Nevertheless, they are limited by their high computational cost, simplified approximations, and signal information used for reconstruction. As such, advanced analyses are required to not only be able to perform a holistic reconstruction of all parameters, but also to conduct near-field interferometry of the air shower. This can be achieved through Information Field Theory (IFT), an imaging reconstruction framework based on Bayesian inference that can extract all available information within the signal to infer distributions of field-like quantities. In this chapter, we highlight current novel approaches that use IFT for air shower reconstruction, and the potential of their applicability towards SKA-Low.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

Using SKA-Low to Detect PeV Gamma-rays from Galactic Sources

Detecting so called PeVatrons is considered one of the prime goals of $\gamma$-ray astronomy. PeVatrons are astrophysical objects in the Galaxy that are sources of cosmic rays exceeding PeV ($10^{15}$ eV) energies, the highest in our Galaxy. Their nature is unknown as of now, with some candidates reaching barely above PeV energies just having been identified. Serendipitously, the energy threshold of air shower detection using radio emission, has been proven at 50 PeV. There is a case to be made that SKA-Low with its unprecedented number of antennas, can reach lower in energy, while the size of the core is sufficiently large provide a significant effective area to measure PeV fluxes. While this promises a novel angle towards understanding the cosmic ray accelerators in our Galaxy, it also would be the first detection of $\gamma$-ray air showers using radio emission.

astro-ph.HE↗