First results from the TUS orbital detector in the extensive air shower mode
Abstract
TUS (Tracking Ultraviolet Set-up), the first orbital detector of extreme energy cosmic rays (EECRs), those with energies above 50 EeV, was launched into orbit on April 28, 2016, as a part of the Lomonosov satellite scientific payload. The main aim of the mission is to test a technique of registering fluorescent and Cherenkov radiation of extensive air showers generated by EECRs in the atmosphere with a space telescope. We present preliminary results of its operation in a mode dedicated to registering extensive air showers in the period from August 16, 2016, to November 4, 2016. No EECRs have been conclusively identified in the data yet, but the diversity of ultraviolet emission in the atmosphere was found to be unexpectedly rich. We discuss typical examples of data obtained with TUS and their possible origin. The data is important for obtaining more accurate estimates of the nocturnal ultraviolet glow of the atmosphere, necessary for successful development of more advanced orbital EECR detectors including those of the KLYPVE (K-EUSO) and JEM-EUSO missions.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1704.07704,
title = {First results from the TUS orbital detector in the extensive air shower mode},
author = {B. A. Khrenov and P. A. Klimov and M. I. Panasyuk and S. A. Sharakin and L. G. Tkachev and M. Yu. Zotov and S. V. Biktemerova and A. A. Botvinko and N. P. Chirskaya and V. E. Eremeev and G. K. Garipov and V. M. Grebenyuk and A. A. Grinyuk and S. Jeong and N. N. Kalmykov and M. Kim and M. V. Lavrova and J. Lee and O. Martinez and I. H. Park and V. L. Petrov and E. Ponce and A. E. Puchkov and H. Salazar and O. A. Saprykin and A. N. Senkovsky and A. V. Shirokov and A. V. Tkachenko and I. V. Yashin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1704.07704},
year = {2017}
}
Comments
18 pages; v2: references fixed; v3: minor changes to address referee's comments