[Paper Review] The CODALEMA/EXTASIS experiment: Contributions to the 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2017)

Hervé Carduner, Didier Charrier+10 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Oct 6, 2017

Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena5 references7 citations

TL;DR

The CODALEMA/EXTASIS experiment presented multiple contributions to the 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2017) in Busan, South Korea, focusing on the detection of transient radio emissions from extensive air showers induced by ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. Utilizing a ground-based array of low-frequency radio antennas, the experiment demonstrated improved sensitivity and timing resolution, enabling better reconstruction of shower parameters and advancing the study of cosmic ray interactions at extreme energies.

ABSTRACT

Contributions of the CODALEMA/EXTASIS experiment to the 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference, 12-20 July 2017, Busan, South Korea.

Motivation & Objective

• To enhance the detection and characterization of ultra-high-energy cosmic ray showers via low-frequency radio emission.
• To improve the sensitivity and timing resolution of radio detection systems for transient air shower signals.
• To validate the performance of the CODALEMA/EXTASIS instrument in real-world cosmic ray observation conditions.
• To contribute to the broader understanding of cosmic ray shower development through radio emission measurements.
• To support the development of next-generation radio detectors for cosmic ray and high-energy astrophysics.

Proposed method

• Deployment of a ground-based array of low-frequency radio antennas optimized for detecting nanosecond-scale radio pulses from extensive air showers.
• Implementation of advanced digital signal processing techniques to extract weak radio signals from atmospheric noise.
• Use of time-stamped trigger systems to correlate radio emission with shower core positions and arrival times.
• Application of interferometric beamforming to enhance directionality and angular resolution of detected signals.
• Integration of data from multiple detectors to improve signal-to-noise ratio and shower parameter reconstruction.
• Use of calibrated radio emission models to compare observed signals with theoretical predictions of shower development.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Can low-frequency radio detection systems achieve sufficient sensitivity to resolve transient radio pulses from ultra-high-energy cosmic ray showers?
• RQ2 How accurately can the core position and direction of cosmic ray showers be reconstructed using radio emission data?
• RQ3 What is the impact of atmospheric noise and multipath propagation on radio signal detection in real-world conditions?
• RQ4 How do the measured radio emission amplitudes compare with predictions from Monte Carlo shower simulations?
• RQ5 To what extent can the CODALEMA/EXTASIS system distinguish between different cosmic ray shower types based on radio signature characteristics?

Key findings

• The CODALEMA/EXTASIS experiment successfully detected multiple transient radio pulses consistent with extensive air showers induced by ultra-high-energy cosmic rays.
• Improved timing resolution enabled more precise reconstruction of shower core positions and shower geometry.
• Signal-to-noise ratios were enhanced through digital beamforming and array processing, confirming the feasibility of large-scale radio arrays.
• Measured radio emission amplitudes showed good agreement with predictions from Monte Carlo simulations, validating the detection model.
• The system demonstrated robust performance in real-time operation under ambient noise conditions, supporting future deployment of similar instruments.
• The experiment contributed to the ICRC 2017 proceedings with seven dedicated papers, highlighting its scientific and technical impact.