scholarly journals CaloCube and “Tracker In Calorimeter” projects for the direct measurement of high energy charged astro-particles and gamma rays.

2019 ◽  
Vol 209 ◽  
pp. 01039
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Pacini ◽  
Nicola Mori

Measurements of high energy cosmic rays in the “knee” region (about 1015 eV) are currently available only with ground detectors: new observations of cosmic particles up to these energies with direct measurements are one of the main goals of the next generation space experiments. To achieve those aims, a large acceptance, good energy resolution and particle identification are needed. CaloCube is the design of a space borne calorimeter which is capable to accept particles coming from any direction, increasing the acceptance with respect to traditional telescopes. A good performance for both hadronic and electromagnetic showers is achieved with a 3-D sampling capability: the basic picture of CaloCube is a cubic homogeneous calorimeter which consists of cubic scintillating crystals. MC simulations, concerning different materials and geometrical configurations, and several beam tests with different versions of the CaloCube prototype have been employed to optimize both the detector design and the data analysis method. Taking advantage of the CaloCube project, the space experiment HERD (“High Energy Cosmic Radiation Detection”) will include a large acceptance cubic calorimeter with cubic LYSO crystals. It will be installed on-board of the Chinese space station around 2025. Beside the charged particle observations, high energy gamma-rays provide direct information about the galactic cosmic ray sources. A new project named “Tracker In Calorimeter” (TIC) was approved by INFN in 2017 with the main purpose of the optimization of the calorimeter design for the reconstruction of the gamma-ray direction, without the requirement of additional not homogeneous pre-shower detector. A TIC prototype was recently assembled and tested at the PS-CERN and SPS-CERN accelerators.

2019 ◽  
Vol 209 ◽  
pp. 01040
Author(s):  
Chiara Perrina

The High Energy cosmic-Radiation Detection (HERD) facility will be one of the space astronomy payloads on board the future Chinese space station. The ambitious aim of HERD is the direct detection of cosmic rays towards the “knee” region (~ 1 PeV), with a detector able to measure electrons, photons and nuclei with an excellent energy resolution (1% for electrons and photons at 200 GeV and 20% for nuclei at 100 GeV - PeV), an acceptance 10 times the one of present generation missions (~ 1 m2 sr), and long life-time (> 10 years). The primary objectives of HERD are the indirect search for dark matter particles and the precise measurement of energy distribution and composition of cosmic rays from 30 GeV up to a few PeV, determining the origin of the “knee” structure of the spectrum. Furthermore, HERD will monitor the high energy gamma-ray sky from 500 MeV, observing gamma-ray bursts, active galactic nuclei, galactic microquasars, etc. HERD will be composed of a homogeneous calorimeter, surrounded by a particle tracker and a plastic scintillator detector. Two possible trackers are under study: a 5-side tracker made of silicon strip detectors and a 4-side scintillating fiber tracker with a silicon strip top tracker. The total volume of HERD will be (2.3 × 2.3 × 2.6) m3 with a weight of about 4 t. The HERD design, perspectives, expected performances in terms of energy sensitivity and acceptance will be presented in this contribution.


2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (28) ◽  
pp. 1951-1966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Lamanna

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is a high energy particle physics experiment in space scheduled to be installed on the International Space Station (ISS) by 2006 for a three-year mission. After a precursor flight of a prototype detector on board of the NASA Space Shuttle in June 1998, the construction of the detector in its final configuration is started and it will be completed by 2004. The purpose of this experiment is to provide a high statistics measurement of charged particles and nuclei in rigidity range 0.5 GV to few TV and to explore the high-energy (> 1 GeV ) gamma-ray sky. In this paper we describe the detector layout and present an overview of the main scientific goals both in the domain of astrophysics: cosmic-ray origin, age and propagation and the exploration of the most energetic gamma-ray sources; and in the domain of astroparticle: the anti-matter and the dark matter searches.


2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (20) ◽  
pp. 3953-3964
Author(s):  
A. GERANIOS ◽  
D. KOUTSOKOSTA ◽  
O. MALANDRAKI ◽  
H. ROSAKI-MAVROULI

Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR) (E ≥ 5 × 1019 eV ) are detected through Extensive Air Showers that are created when a primary cosmic ray particle interacts with the atmosphere of the Earth. The energy of the primary particle can be estimated experimentally based on simulations. In this paper, we attempt to estimate the energy of UHECR gamma ray photons by applying a Monte Carlo simulation code and we compare the results with the ones derived in our previous papers for hadron initiated showers. The scenario of simulations is adapted to the P. Auger Observatory site.


1996 ◽  
Vol 168 ◽  
pp. 279-288
Author(s):  
P. Sreekumar ◽  
D.A. Kniffen

The all-sky survey in high energy gamma rays (E>30 MeV) carried out by the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) aboard the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory provides for the first time an opportunity to examine in detail diffuse gamma-ray emission of extra-galactic origin. The observed diffuse emission at high galactic latitudes is generally assumed to have a galactic component arising from cosmic-ray interactions with the local interstellar gas and radiation, in addition to an isotropic component presumably of extragalactic origin. The galactic component can be estimated from a model of the interstellar medium and cosmic-ray distribution. Since the derived extragalactic spectrum depends very much on the success of our galactic model, the consistency of the galactic diffuse emission model is examined both spectrally and spatially with existing EGRET observations. In conjunction with this model, EGRET observations of the high latitude emission are used to examine the flux and spectrum of the residual extragalactic emission. This residual emission could be either truly diffuse in origin or could arise from accumulated emission from unresolved sources particularly in the light of EGRET observations showing the presence of numerous gamma-ray bright active galactic nuclei.


2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (1) ◽  
pp. 1087-1094
Author(s):  
Prabir Banik ◽  
Arunava Bhadra ◽  
Abhijit Bhattacharyya

ABSTRACT The nearest active radio galaxy Centaurus (Cen) A is a gamma-ray emitter in GeV–TeV energy scale. The high energy stereoscopic system (HESS) and non-simultaneous Fermi–Large Area Telescope observation indicate an unusual spectral hardening above few GeV energies in the gamma-ray spectrum of Cen A. Very recently the HESS observatory resolved the kilo parsec (kpc)-scale jets in Centaurus A at TeV energies. On the other hand, the Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO) detects a few ultrahigh energy cosmic ray (UHECR) events from Cen-A. The proton blazar inspired model, which considers acceleration of both electrons and hadronic cosmic rays in active galactic nuclei (AGN) jet, can explain the observed coincident high-energy neutrinos and gamma-rays from Ice-cube detected AGN jets. Here, we have employed the proton blazar inspired model to explain the observed GeV–TeV gamma-ray spectrum features including the spectrum hardening at GeV energies along with the PAO observation on cosmic rays from Cen-A. Our findings suggest that the model can explain consistently the observed electromagnetic spectrum in combination with the appropriate number of UHECRs from Cen A.


2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (18) ◽  
pp. 1467-1481 ◽  
Author(s):  
TODOR STANEV

We introduce the highest energy cosmic rays and briefly review the powerful astrophysical objects where they could be accelerated. We then introduce the interactions of different cosmic ray particles with the photon fields of the Universe and the formation of the cosmic ray spectra observed at Earth. The last topic is the production of secondary gamma rays and neutrinos in the interactions of the ultrahigh energy cosmic rays.


1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 3393-3413 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. BARWICK ◽  
F. HALZEN ◽  
P.B. PRICE

It is hoped that in the near future, neutrino astronomy, born with the identification of thermonuclear fusion in the sun and the particle processes controlling the fate of a nearby supernova, will reach throughout and beyond our galaxy and make measurements relevant to cosmology, astrophysics, cosmic-ray physics and particle physics. The construction of a high-energy neutrino telescope requires a huge volume of very transparent, deeply buried material, such as ocean water or ice, which acts as the medium for detecting the particles. The AMANDA1 muon and neutrino telescope, now operating four strings of photomultiplier tubes buried in deep ice at the South Pole, is scheduled to be expanded to a ten-string array. The data collected over the first two years cover the three basic modes in which such instruments are operated: (i) the burst mode which monitors the sky for supernovae, (ii) the detection of electromagnetic showers initiated by PeV-energy cosmic electron neutrinos, and (iii) muon trajectory reconstruction for neutrino and gamma-ray astronomy. We speculate on the possible architectures of kilometer-scale instruments, using early data as a guideline.


2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (24) ◽  
pp. 1991-1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
YUKIO TOMOZAWA

The author reviews a model for the emission of high energy cosmic rays, gamma-rays and neutrinos from AGN (Active Galactic Nuclei) that he has proposed since 1985. Further discussion of the knee energy phenomenon of the cosmic ray energy spectrum requires the existence of a heavy particle with mass in the knee energy range. A possible method of detecting such a particle in the Pierre Auger Project is suggested. Also presented is a relation between the spectra of neutrinos and gamma-rays emitted from AGN. This relation can be tested by high energy neutrino detectors such as ICECUBE, the Mediterranean Sea Detector and possibly by the Pierre Auger Project.


2019 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 03002
Author(s):  
Rasha Abbasi ◽  
John Belz ◽  
Ryan Le Von ◽  
Dan Rodeheffer ◽  
Paul Krehbiel ◽  
...  

Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are bursts of gamma-rays initiated in the Earth’s atmosphere. TGFs were serendipitously first observed over twenty years ago by the BATSE gamma ray satellite experiment. Since then, several satellite experiments have shown that TGFs are produced in the upward negative breakdown stage at the start of intracloud lightning discharges. In this proceeding, we present ground-based observation of TGFs produced by downward negative breakdown occurring at the beginning of negative cloud-to-ground flashes. The Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes discussed in this work were detected between 2014-2017 at ground level by the Telescope Array surface detector (TASD) together with Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) and the slow electric field antenna (SA). The TASD detector is a 700 km2 ultra high energy cosmic ray detector in the southwestern desert of Utah. It is comprised of 507 (3 m2) plastic scintillator detectors on a 1.2 km square grid. The LMA detector, a three-dimensional total lightning location system, is comprised of nine stations located within and around the array. The slow electric field antenna records the electric field change in lightning discharges. The observed Gamma ray showers were detected in the first 1-2 ms of downward negative breakdown prior to cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. The shower sources were observed by the LMA detector at altitudes of a few kilometers above ground level. The detected energetic burst showers have a footprint on the ground typically ~ 3-5 km in diameter. The bursts comprise of several (2-5) individual pulses, each of which have a span of a few to tens of microseconds and an overall duration of several hundred microseconds. Using a forward-beamed cone of half-angle of 16 degrees, GEANT simulation studies indicate that the showers are consistent with gamma rays of 1012 - 1014 primary photons. We hypothesize that the observed terrestrial gamma-ray flashes are similar to those detected by satellites, but that the ground-based observations are closer to the source and therefore are able to observe weaker sources and report on the structure of the temporal distribution at the source. This result and future studies will enable us to better identify and constrain the mechanisms of downward TGF production.


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