arXiv subjects

V. de Souza

Publications and source records attributed to V. de Souza.

153 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

The KASCADE-Grande experiment: measurements of the all-particle energy spectrum of cosmic rays

The all-particle energy spectrum as measured by the KASCADE-Grande experiment for E = 10^{16} - 10^{18} eV is presented within the framework of the QGSJET II/FLUKA hadronic interaction models. Three different methods were applied based on the muon size and the total number of charged particles individually and in combination. From the study it is found that the spectrum cannot be completely described by a smooth power law due to the presence of characteristic features.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2010

On noise treatment in radio measurements of cosmic ray air showers

Precise measurements of the radio emission by cosmic ray air showers require an adequate treatment of noise. Unlike to usual experiments in particle physics, where noise always adds to the signal, radio noise can in principle decrease or increase the signal if it interferes by chance destructively or constructively. Consequently, noise cannot simply be subtracted from the signal, and its influence on amplitude and time measurement of radio pulses must be studied with care. First, noise has to be determined consistently with the definition of the radio signal which typically is the maximum field strength of the radio pulse. Second, the average impact of noise on radio pulse measurements at individual antennas is studied for LOPES. It is shown that a correct treatment of noise is especially important at low signal-to-noise ratios: noise can be the dominant source of uncertainty for pulse height and time measurements, and it can systematically flatten the slope of lateral distributions. The presented method can also be transfered to other experiments in radio and acoustic detection of cosmic rays and neutrinos.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2009

Lateral Distribution of the Radio Signal in Extensive Air Showers Measured with LOPES

The antenna array LOPES is set up at the location of the KASCADE-Grande extensive air shower experiment in Karlsruhe, Germany and aims to measure and investigate radio pulses from Extensive Air Showers. The coincident measurements allow us to reconstruct the electric field strength at observation level in dependence of general EAS parameters. In the present work, the lateral distribution of the radio signal in air showers is studied in detail. It is found that the lateral distributions of the electric field strengths in individual EAS can be described by an exponential function. For about 20% of the events a flattening towards the shower axis is observed, preferentially for showers with large inclination angle. The estimated scale parameters R0 describing the slope of the lateral profiles range between 100 and 200 m. No evidence for a direct correlation of R0 with shower parameters like azimuth angle, geomagnetic angle, or primary energy can be found. This indicates that the lateral profile is an intrinsic property of the radio emission during the shower development which makes the radio detection technique suitable for large scale applications.

astro-ph.HE↗

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↗

arXiv2009

Active Galactic Nuclei with Starbursts: Sources for Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays

Ultra high energy cosmic ray events presently show a spectrum, which we interpret here as galactic cosmic rays due to a starburst in the radio galaxy Cen A pushed up in energy by the shock of a relativistic jet. The knee feature and the particles with energy immediately higher in galactic cosmic rays then turn into the bulk of ultra high energy cosmic rays. This entails that all ultra high energy cosmic rays are heavy nuclei. This picture is viable if the majority of the observed ultra high energy events come from the radio galaxy Cen A, and are scattered by intergalactic magnetic fields across most of the sky.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2007

Statistical methods applied to composition studies of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays

The mass composition of high energy cosmic rays above $10^{17}$ eV is a crucial issue to solve some open questions in astrophysics such as the acceleration and propagation mechanisms. Unfortunately, the standard procedures to identify the primary particle of a cosmic ray shower have low efficiency mainly due to large fluctuations and limited experimental observables. We present a statistical method for composition studies based on several measurable features of the longitudinal development of the CR shower such as $N_{max}$, $X_{max}$, asymmetry, skewness and kurtosis. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate the relevance of each parameter in the representation of the overall shower features and a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was used to combine the different parameters to maximize the discrimination between different particle showers. The new parameter from LDA provides a separation between primary gammas, proton and iron nuclei better than the procedures based on $X_{max}$ only. The method proposed here was successfully tested in the energy range from $10^{17}$ to $10^{20}$ eV even when limitations of shower track length were included in order to simulate the field of view of fluorescence telescopes.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

The importance of muon information on primary mass discrimination of ultra-high energy cosmic rays

Several methods can be used to perform statistical inference of primary composition of cosmic rays measured with water Cerenkov detectors as those in use at the Pierre Auger Southern Observatory. In the present work we assess the impact of additional information about the number of muons in the air shower, on the problem of statistical primary mass discrimination. Several tools are studied, including neural networks, principal component analysis and traditional methods in current use in the field. For our case study we use hypothetical plastic scintillators as muon counters, buried at the side and outside the shade of the water Cerenkov tanks. The study is extended to protons and Fe nuclei impinging on an array with two different spacings, 750 and 1500 m and, therefore, suitable to the 1-10 EeV energy range. A prototype of such a detector is under construction.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Lateral width of shower image in the Auger fluorescence detector

The impact of the lateral distribution of light in extensive air showers on the detection and reconstruction of shower profiles is investigated for the Auger fluorescence telescopes. Based on three-dimensional simulations, the capability of the Auger telescopes to measure the lateral distribution of light is evaluated. The ability to infer the actual lateral distribution is confirmed by the comparison of detailed simulations with real data. The contribution of pixels located far from the axis of the shower image is calculated and the accepted signal is rescaled in order to reconstruct a correct shower profile. The analysis presented here shows that: (a) the Auger telescopes are able to observe the lateral distribution of showers and (b) the energy corrections to account for the signal in outlying pixels can exceed 10%, depending on shower geometry.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Longitudinal development of extensive air showers: hybrid code SENECA and full Monte Carlo

New experiments, exploring the ultra-high energy tail of the cosmic ray spectrum with unprecedented detail, are exerting a severe pressure on extensive air hower modeling. Detailed fast codes are in need in order to extract and understand the richness of information now available. Some hybrid simulation codes have been proposed recently to this effect (e.g., the combination of the traditional Monte Carlo scheme and system of cascade equations or pre-simulated air showers). In this context, we explore the potential of SENECA, an efficient hybrid tridimensional simulation code, as a valid practical alternative to full Monte Carlo simulations of extensive air showers generated by ultra-high energy cosmic rays. We extensively compare hybrid method with the traditional, but time consuming, full Monte Carlo code CORSIKA which is the de facto standard in the field. The hybrid scheme of the SENECA code is based on the simulation of each particle with the traditional Monte Carlo method at two steps of the shower development: the first step predicts the large fluctuations in the very first particle interactions at high energies while the second step provides a well detailed lateral distribution simulation of the final stages of the air shower. Both Monte Carlo simulation steps are connected by a cascade equation system which reproduces correctly the hadronic and electromagnetic longitudinal profile. We study the influence of this approach on the main longitudinal characteristics of proton-induced air showers and compare the predictions of the well known CORSIKA code using the QGSJET hadronic interaction model.

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