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Z. Cao

Publications and source records attributed to Z. Cao.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
arXiv2008

Search for Correlations between HiRes Stereo Events and Active Galactic Nuclei

We have searched for correlations between the pointing directions of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays observed by the High Resolution Fly's Eye experiment and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) visible from its northern hemisphere location. No correlations, other than random correlations, have been found. We report our results using search parameters prescribed by the Pierre Auger collaboration. Using these parameters, the Auger collaboration concludes that a positive correlation exists for sources visible to their southern hemisphere location. We also describe results using two methods for determining the chance probability of correlations: one in which a hypothesis is formed from scanning one half of the data and tested on the second half, and another which involves a scan over the entire data set. The most significant correlation found occurred with a chance probability of 24%.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2008

An upper limit on the electron-neutrino flux from the HiRes detector

Air-fluorescence detectors such as the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) detector are very sensitive to upward-going, Earth-skimming ultrahigh energy electron-neutrino-induced showers. This is due to the relatively large interaction cross sections of these high-energy neutrinos and to the Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal (LPM) effect. The LPM effect causes a significant decrease in the cross sections for bremsstrahlung and pair production, allowing charged-current electron-neutrino-induced showers occurring deep in the Earth's crust to be detectable as they exit the Earth into the atmosphere. A search for upward-going neutrino-induced showers in the HiRes-II monocular dataset has yielded a null result. From an LPM calculation of the energy spectrum of charged particles as a function of primary energy and depth for electron-induced showers in rock, we calculate the shape of the resulting profile of these showers in air. We describe a full detector Monte Carlo simulation to determine the detector response to upward-going electron-neutrino-induced cascades and present an upper limit on the flux of electron-neutrinos.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2007

Air fluorescence measurements in the spectral range 300-420 nm using a 28.5 GeV electron beam

Measurements are reported of the yield and spectrum of fluorescence, excited by a 28.5 GeV electron beam, in air at a range of pressures of interest to ultra-high energy cosmic ray detectors. The wavelength range was 300 - 420 nm. System calibration has been performed using Rayleigh scattering of a nitrogen laser beam. In atmospheric pressure dry air at 304 K the yield is 20.8 +/- 1.6 photons per MeV.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2006

The Performance of CRTNT Fluorescence Light Detector for Sub-EeV Cosmic Ray Observation

Cosmic Ray Tau Neutrino Telescopes (CRTNT) using for sub-EeV cosmic ray measurement is discussed. Performances of a stereoscope configuration with a tower of those telescopes plus two side-triggers are studied. This is done by using a detailed detector simulation driven by Corsika. Detector aperture as a function of shower energy above 10^17 eV is calculated. Event rate of about 20k per year for the second knee measurement is estimated. Event rate for cross calibration with detectors working on higher energy range is also estimated. Different configurations of the detectors are tried for optimization.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2004

Ultra High Energy $ν_τ$ Detection Using Cosmic Ray Tau Neutrino Telescope Used in Fluorescence/Cerenkov Light Detection

We have investigated the possibility of $ν_τ$ detection using Cosmic Ray Tau Neutrino Telescope (CRTNT) based on air shower fluorescence/Cerenkov light detector techniques. This approach requires an interaction of a $ν_τ$ with material such as a mountain or the earth's crust. $τ$ lepton produced in the charged current interaction must escape from the earth and then decay and initiate a shower in the air. The probability for the conversion from $ν_τ$ to air shower has been calculated for an energy range from 1 PeV to 10 EeV. An air shower simulation program has been developed using the simulation package Corsika. The trigger efficiency has been estimated for a CRTNT detector similar to the HiRes/Dice detector in the shadow of Mt. Wheeler in Nevada, USA. A rate of about 8 triggered events per year is expected for the AGN neutrino source model with an optimized configuration and duty cycle of the detector.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2002

The Composition of Cosmic Rays at the Knee

The observation of a small change in spectral slope, or 'knee' in the fluxes of cosmic rays near energies 10^15 eV has caused much speculation since its discovery over 40 years ago. The origin of this feature remains unknown. A small workshop to review some modern experimental measurements of this region was held at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, USA in June 2000. This paper summarizes the results presented at this workshop and the discussion of their interpretation in the context of hadronic models of atmospheric airshowers.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2000

Measurement of the Cosmic Ray Energy Spectrum and Composition from 10^{17} to 10^{18.3} eV Using a Hybrid Fluorescence Technique

We study the spectrum and average mass composition of cosmic rays with primary energies between 10^{17} eV and 10^{18} eV using a hybrid detector consisting of the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) prototype and the MIA muon array. Measurements have been made of the change in the depth of shower maximum as a function of energy. A complete Monte Carlo simulation of the detector response and comparisons with shower simulations leads to the conclusion that the cosmic ray intensity is changing f rom a heavier to a lighter composition in this energy range. The spectrum is consistent with earlier Fly's Eye measurements and supports the previously found steepening near 4 \times 10^{17} eV .

astro-ph↗
arXiv1999

Energy Estimation of UHE Cosmic Rays using the Atmospheric Fluorescence Technique

We use the CORSIKA air shower simulation program to review the method for assigning energies to ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic rays viewed with the air fluorescence technique. This technique uses the atmosphere as a calorimeter, and we determine the corrections that must be made to the calorimetric energy to yield the primary cosmic ray energy.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1999

A Multi-Component Measurement of the Cosmic Ray Composition Between 10^{17} eV and 10^{18} eV

The average mass composition of cosmic rays with primary energies between $10^{17}$eV and $10^{18}$eV has been studied using a hybrid detector consisting of the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) prototype and the MIA muon array. Measurements have been made of the change in the depth of shower maximum, $X_{max}$, and in the change in the muon density at a fixed core location, $ρ_μ(600m)$, as a function of energy. The composition has also been evaluated in terms of the combination of $X_{max}$ and $ρ_μ(600m)$. The results show that the composition is changing from a heavy to lighter mix as the energy increases.

astro-ph↗
arXiv1999

Erraticity Analysis of Soft Production by ECOMB

Event-to-event fluctuations of the spatial patterns of the final states of high-enery collisions, referred to as erraticity, are studied for the data generated by a soft-interaction model called ECOMB. The moments $C_{p,q}$ do not show simple power-law dependences on the bin size. New measures of erraticity are proposed that generalizes the bin-size dependence. The method should be applied not only to the soft production data of NA22 and NA27 to check the dynamical content of ECOMB, but also to other collision processes, such as $e^+e^-$ annihilation and heavy-ion collisions.

hep-ph↗