Related papers: The Air-Fluorescence Yield
The light intensity distribution in a shower image and its implications to the primary energy reconstructed by the fluorescence technique are studied. Based on detailed CORSIKA energy deposit simulations, a universal analytical formula is…
Air shower simulation programs are essential tools for the analysis of data from cosmic ray experiments and for planning the layout of new detectors. They are used to estimate the energy and mass of the primary particle. Unfortunately the…
The atmospheric attenuation of Cherenkov photons is dominated by two processes: Rayleigh scattering from the molecular component and Mie scattering from the aerosol component. Aerosols are expected to contribute up to 30 Wm$^{-2}$ to the…
Extended Air Showers produced by cosmic rays impinging on the earth atmosphere irradiate radio frequency radiation through different mechanisms. Upon certain conditions, the emission has a coherent nature, with the consequence that the…
Improved statistics and mass-composition-sensitive observation are required to clarify the origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). Inevitably in the future, the UHECR observatories will have to be expanded due to the small flux;…
Measurements of air showers are accumulating at an increasing rate while construction proceeds at the Pierre Auger Observatory. Although the southern site is only half complete, the cumulative exposure is already similar to those achieved…
The development of new fluorescent molecules and dyes requires precise determination of their emission efficiency, which ultimately defines the potential of the developed materials. For this, the photoluminescence quantum yield (QY) is…
The fluorescence yield data used for shower reconstruction in the Auger, HiRes and TA experiments are different, not only in the overall absolute value but also in the wavelength spectrum and the various atmospheric dependencies. The effect…
We study basic characteristics of distributions of the depths of shower maximum in air showers caused by cosmic rays with the highest energies. The consistency between their average values and widths, and their energy dependences are…
The air fluorescence detectors (FDs) of the Pierre Auger Observatory are vital for the determination of the air shower energy scale. To compensate for variations in atmospheric conditions that affect the energy measurement, the Observatory…
The Pierre Auger Observatory has conducted measurements of the energy spectrum and mass composition of cosmic rays using different methods. Utilizing both surface and fluorescence detectors (SD and FD), the Observatory provides…
Ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), whose energy are beyond $10^{18}~\mathrm{eV}$, are the most energetic particles we have ever detected. The latest results seem to indicate a heavier composition at the highest energies, complicating…
The observation of photons with energies above 10^18 eV would open a new window in cosmic-ray research, with possible impact on astrophysics, particle physics, cosmology and fundamental physics. Current and planned air shower experiments,…
We present the calculation of coherent radio pulses emitted by extensive air showers induced by ultra-high energy cosmic rays accounting for reflection on the Earth's surface. Results have been obtained with a simulation program that…
The reconstruction of cosmic-ray-induced extensive air showers with a non-imaging Cherenkov detector array requires knowledge of the Cherenkov yield of any given air shower for a given set of shower parameters. Although air showers develop…
We describe several techniques developed by the High Resolution Fly's Eye experiment for measuring aerosol vertical optical depth, aerosol horizontal attenuation length, and aerosol phase function. The techniques are based on measurements…
Air fluorescence detectors measure the energy of ultra-high energy cosmic rays by collecting fluorescence light emitted from nitrogen molecules along the extensive air shower cascade. To ensure a reliable energy determination, the light…
This paper begins with a pedagogical discussion of the propagation of cosmic rays and the showers produced when a cosmic ray primary hits the upper atmosphere. The paper focusses cosmic rays, with energy > 10^19 eV. Emphasis is placed on…
The atmospheric scattering of light has a significant influence on results of optical observations of air showers. It causes attenuation of direct light from the shower, but also contributes a delayed signal to the observed light. The…
Astroparticles offer a new path for research in the field of particle physics, allowing investigations at energies above those accesible with accelerators. Ultra-high energy cosmic rays can be studied via the observation of the showers they…