[论文解读] The Pierre Auger Observatory Upgrade - Preliminary Design Report

The Pierre Auger Collaboration, A. Aab+463 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Apr 13, 2016

Particle Detector Development and Performance被引用 103

一句话总结

本论文提出了皮埃尔·奥热天文台的AugerPrime升级计划，详细介绍了探测器增建（SSD、UMD）、电子学升级、扩展荧光探测器观测 duty cycle，以及项目组织、成本和进度。

ABSTRACT

The Pierre Auger Observatory has begun a major Upgrade of its already impressive capabilities, with an emphasis on improved mass composition determination using the surface detectors of the Observatory. Known as AugerPrime, the upgrade will include new 4 m$^2$ plastic scintillator detectors on top of all 1660 water-Cherenkov detectors, updated and more flexible surface detector electronics, a large array of buried muon detectors, and an extended duty cycle for operations of the fluorescence detectors. This Preliminary Design Report was produced by the Collaboration in April 2015 as an internal document and information for funding agencies. It outlines the scientific and technical case for AugerPrime. We now release it to the public via the arXiv server. We invite you to review the large number of fundamental results already achieved by the Observatory and our plans for the future.

研究动机与目标

• Explain the scientific motivation for upgrading the Pierre Auger Observatory to improve mass composition determination at the highest energies.
• Describe the proposed detector enhancements (scintillator surface detectors, underground muon detectors) and electronics upgrades.
• Outline the plan to extend the fluorescence detector duty cycle and its impact on data collection.
• Assess project organization, risk management, costs, and deployment schedule for the upgrade.

提出的方法

• Introduce a complementary plastic scintillator plane atop each Water-Cherenkov Detector to sample shower components with different responses.
• Upgrade surface detector electronics to process both WCD and SSD signals with higher sampling rate, timing accuracy, and dynamic range.
• Implement the AMIGA underground muon detectors as the UMD component to measure muon content and validate methods.
• Extend Fluorescence Detector operations to higher night sky background periods to increase duty cycle by ~50%.
• Maintain existing detector operations with minimal downtime and adapt central data acquisition and monitoring systems accordingly.

实验结果

研究问题

• RQ1 What is the sensitivity gain in mass composition determination from adding the SSD and UMD to the existing array?
• RQ2 How does the extended FD duty cycle improve exposure and statistical power for high-energy cosmic ray measurements?
• RQ3 Can direct muon measurements from UMD validate and calibrate muon extraction methods from SSD/WCD data?
• RQ4 What are the cost, schedule, and organizational requirements to complete the AugerPrime upgrade by 2018?
• RQ5 How will the upgraded detector suite constrain hadronic interaction models and potential new physics at ultrahigh energies?

主要发现

• The upgrade targets improved mass composition determination for events across the array, enabling shower-by-shower mass information.
• Projected total upgrade cost is US$ 15.2 M with contingency (infrastructure included); US$ 12.7 M without infrastructure costs.
• AMIGA underground muon detectors will serve as the UMD and cost about US$ 1.6 M (without infrastructure costs).
• The FD duty cycle is expected to increase by about 50% through extended operation during brighter nights.
• The upgrade aims to double the event statistics by 2016–18 and reduce systematic uncertainties related to hadronic shower modeling.
• The new detectors enable cross-checks with the Telescope Array and improve proton fraction sensitivity in the flux suppression region.