Calibration of the surface array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

• Autores: Bertou, X.; Allison, P.; Bonifazi, C.; Bauleo, P.; Grunfeld, Christian Martín; Aglietta, M.; Arneodo, F.; Barnhill, D.; Beatty, J. J.; Busca, N. G.; Creusot, A.; Dornic, D.; Etchegoyen, A.; Filevitch, A.; Ghia, P. L.; Lhenry-Yvon, I.; Medina, M. C.; Moreno, E.; Nitz, D.; Ohnuki, T.; Ranchon, S.; Salazar, H.; Suomijärvi, T.; Supanitsky, D.; Tripathi, A.; Urban, M.; Villaseñor, L.; The Pierre Auger Collaboration
• Año de publicación: 2006
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: Física; Ultra high-energy cosmic rays; Water Cherenkov detectors; Calibration; Atmospheric muons
• Institución: Universidad Nacional de La Plata

The Pierre Auger Observatory is designed to study cosmic rays of the highest energies ð41019 eVÞ. The ground array of the Observatory will consist of 1600 water Cherenkov detectors deployed over 3000 km2. The remoteness and large number of detectors require a robust, automatic self-calibration procedure. It relies on the measurement of the average charge collected by a photomultiplier tube from the Cherenkov light produced by a vertical and central through-going muon, determined to 5–10% at the detector via a novel rate-based technique and to 3% precision through analysis of histograms of the charge distribution. The parameters needed for the calibration are measured every minute, allowing for an accurate determination of the signals recorded from extensive air showers produced by primary cosmic rays. The method also enables stable and uniform triggering conditions to be achieved.
Instituto de Física La Plata