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Detection Techniques of Radio Emission from Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays

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Detection Techniques of Radio Emission from Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays Detection Techniques of Radio Emission from Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Chad M. Morris, B.S. Graduate Program in Physics The Ohio State University 2009 Dissertation Committee: Prof. James J. Beatty, Adviser Prof. John F. Beacom Prof. Richard J. Furnstahl Prof. Richard E. Hughes c Copyright by Chad M. Morris 2009 Abstract We discuss recent and future efforts to detect radio signals from extended air showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Malarg¨ue, Argentina. With the advent of low-cost, high-performance digitizers and robust digital signal processing software techniques, radio detection of cosmic rays has resurfaced as a promising measure- ment system. The inexpensive nature of the detector media (metallic wires, rods or parabolic dishes) and economies of scale working in our favor (inexpensive high- quality C-band amplifiers and receivers) make an array of radio antennas an appealing alternative to the expense of deploying an array of Cherenkov detector water tanks or ‘fly’s eye’ optical telescopes for fluorescence detection. The calorimetric nature of the detection and the near 100% duty cycle gives the best of both traditional detection techniques. The history of cosmic ray detection detection will be discussed. A short review on the astrophysical properties of cosmic rays and atmospheric interactions will lead into a discussion of two radio emission channels that are currently being investigated. ii This dissertation is dedicated to my wife, Nichole, who has tolerated and even encouraged my ramblings for longer than I can remember. To Eva who has quickly become a central part of my life. Finally, to my parents, Mike and Beci, without whom none of this could have happened. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many thanks go out to my advisor, Jim Beatty, to the members of the Pierre Auger Observatory collaboration, members of the Auger Radio Collaboration, and the technical staff of PAO in Malarg¨ue who went out of their way to help out any time there was a problem. iv Contents Page Abstract....................................... ii Dedication...................................... iii Acknowledgments.................................. iv ListofTables .................................... viii ListofFigures ................................... ix Chapters: 1. Introduction.................................. 1 1.1 CurrentDetectionMethods . 2 1.1.1 SurfaceDetection........................ 3 1.1.2 FluorescenceDetection. 4 1.1.3 PierreAugerObservatory . 4 1.1.4 RadioDetection ........................ 5 v 2. BasicPhysicsofCosmicRays ........................ 12 2.1 SourcesofCosmicRays ........................ 12 2.2 AccelerationMechanisms . 14 2.2.1 EnergyLimitations. 17 2.2.2 InteractionsintheAtmosphere . 19 3. OSU/LeedsGeosynchrotronDetector . .. 23 3.1 RadioFreeMalargue.......................... 23 3.2 LogPeriodicDipoleAntennas. 25 3.2.1 OSU/Leeds LPDA Deployment . 30 3.3 Amplifier/Receiver ........................... 36 3.4 OnboardElectronics .......................... 42 3.5 SolarPower............................... 45 3.6 Communications ............................ 48 3.7 Radio Central Data Aquisition System . 50 3.8 TriggerLogic .............................. 54 3.8.1 HardwareTriggers . .. .. 56 3.8.2 SoftwareTrigger ........................ 56 3.9 Results ................................. 57 3.9.1 Issues, Problems, Success . 57 3.9.2 AnalysisMethods ....................... 68 3.9.3 Suggestions for Improvement . 70 vi 3.9.4 Contributions.......................... 72 3.9.5 Results ............................. 74 3.9.6 FutureDeployment. 86 4. AMBER:ANewCosmicRayDetector . 89 4.1 Introduction .............................. 89 4.2 MBR: Molecular Bremsstrahlung Radiation . 90 4.3 AcceleratorResults. .. .. 90 4.3.1 AWAINCOBREMS/SLACT471 . 90 4.4 AMBERHardware........................... 99 4.4.1 Contributions. .. .. 103 vii List of Tables Table Page 3.1 A quick measurement of arm lengths using a Leuthold as a reference length.................................... 32 viii List of Figures Figure Page 1.1 A Cartoon Schematic of the Pierre Auger Observatory . .... 6 1.2 PictureofFly’sEyeTelescope . 7 1.3 LayoutofthePierreAugerObservatory . 8 1.4 Photo of First Solar Powered Radio Detector at the PAO . .... 9 1.5 Photo of typical Surface Detector Water Tank . ... 10 1.6 TheANITAPayloadPriortoLaunch . 11 2.1 CosmicRayEnergySpectrum.. 13 2.2 The Hillas Plot of physical size vs magnetic field. ..... 16 2.3 Proton propagation distance with GZK interactions. ....... 18 2.4 Schematic detailing an extended air shower development........ 20 3.1 Satellite view of Radio test site at the Balloon Launch Facility . 24 3.2 LogPeriodicDipoleArraySchematic . 26 3.3 LPDA Schematic showing phase reversal of smaller elements ..... 26 3.4 Example of Log Periodic Behavior . 29 3.5 GainContourPlotforLPDAantennas . 29 ix 3.6 SmithchartoftheLPDAantenna. 31 3.7 E-Plane gain plot for the LPDA over multiple frequencies. ...... 33 3.8 E-Plane gain plot of LPDA over multiple surfaces. ..... 34 3.9 Photo of installation of first LPDA deployed in Malag¨ue . ...... 35 3.10 PhotooftheLeedsAmplifier. 37 3.11 Schematic of the radio frequency sliders of the Leeds Amplifier . 38 3.12 Schematic of entire chain for self-contained radio detection system. 40 3.13 Full schematic of an OSU/Leeds Station . .. 41 3.14 Samplegainplotoftheamplifier. 43 3.15AUnifiedBoard. ............................. 44 3.16 Field test of solar power, communications and electronics....... 47 3.17 Message packet format for internal radio communications....... 49 3.18 Detailed breakdown of format of message payload. ...... 49 3.19 Balloonlaunchfacility. 51 3.20 FastLooksoftwaredisplay . 53 3.21 High gain antenna and SD ‘spy’ antenna . 55 3.22AmissingLPDAarm. .......................... 59 3.23 Plotofbatteryfailure. 62 3.24 Triggermultiplicitybug . 64 3.25 Radiotriggerratesbeforethebugfix. ... 64 3.26 Radiotriggerratesafterbugfix . 65 x 3.27 Rapidly varying trigger rates station 1. ..... 67 3.28 Nearby station 2 with identical settings. ..... 67 3.29 RadioBackgroundscanwithLPDAatBLF. 69 3.30 Firstpossibleradioevent. 75 3.31 T. Huege REAS simulation of radio events. ... 76 3.32 FFTofsimulatedpulse. .. .. 77 3.33Damagedstation. ............................. 78 3.34 New LPDA design using wires and wood frame. 79 3.35 Aerial view of layout of MAXIMA stations . .. 80 3.36AMAXIMAstation. ........................... 81 3.37 Long term RMS noise level with galactic passage overhead....... 84 3.38 Skymap of radio events found with CLF/CODALEMA radio detectors. 85 3.39 Test site for many Auger Observatory enhancements. ...... 87 3.40 AerialviewofAERAsite. 88 4.1 CartoonschematicofAugerDetectors. .. 91 4.2 The Faraday box used in beamline tests at AWA and SLAC. .. 91 4.3 SchematicsofAWAandSLACtests. 92 4.4 AWAbeamtestresults. ......................... 94 4.5 AWA beam test results with background. 94 4.6 Results from antenna polarized parallel to SLAC beamline....... 96 xi 4.7 Results from antenna polarized perpendicular to SLAC beamline. 97 4.8 ScalingofenergiesatSLACtest. 98 4.9 Initial test setup on roof of physics building at Univesity of Hawaii. 99 4.10 2.4m dish on Ohio State University West Campus dish farm...... 101 4.11 C and Ku-band feed horns arranged in diamond configuration for OSU test. .................................... 102 xii Chapter 1 Introduction In the 1960s, it was found that Extensive Air Showers (EAS) from cosmic rays produce pulses of radio frequency emission in the range of less than 100 MHz . Fol- lowing numerous experimental advances through the mid-1960s, the field came to a standstill by the early 1970s due to the development of more promising experimental techniques. Recently, the development of low-cost digitization and powerful digital signal processing techniques has brought about a revival of radio detection of cosmic rays [1, 2] The Pierre Auger Observatory, a cosmic ray telescope located in Argentina, con- sists of 1600 Cherenkov water tank detectors with a 1.5 km spacing. Co-located with these water tanks are 24 fluorescence detector ‘fly’s eye’ telescopes at 4 locations surrounding the tank array. By placing an array of new radio detectors onsite, we can utilize the Auger data to assist in our prototype testing. We hope to eliminate transient ‘false-positive’ triggers of the radio detectors caused by man-made and nat- urally occurring noise by tapping into the real-time trigger communications of the Observatory. This will improve our own triggering logic in giving a radio event that can be verified against the Auger data. Analyzing event data that has triggered both 1 detectors provides a valuable energy calibration for the prototype radio detection system [3]. There are two likely methods for radio detection of cosmic rays: geosynchrotron and molecular brehmsstrahlung radiation or MBR. The first method, geosynchrotron, is the traditional radio method [4]. Charged particles, electrons or positrons, are bent via the geomagnetic field and synchrotron radiation is produced. This is coherent and highly beamed in the direction of travel. A detector, here an antenna, must be in the path of the shower in order for a signal to occur. This places these antennas as analagous to the surface array tanks described above. The latter detection method, MBR, occurs isotropically as the electrons in the tenuous plasma left in the wake of the shower front cool back to thermal
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