Stabilizing energy reconstructions of the surface detector at the Pierre Auger Observatory

At the Pierre Auger Observatory, ultra-high energy cosmic rays are measured through indirect measurements of the extensive air showers they induce. Accordingly, an energy reconstruction process must be undertaken. For the surface detector, the models utilized for energy reconstruction are empirical approximations of the true particle distribution and thus, different models should return similar energy reconstructions. However, differing models, particularly at high energies and low zenith angles, do not yield the same energy. The focus of this thesis is to remedy these instabilities; a method was explored using the well-established Nishimura-Kamata-Greisen and Power Law functions. As instabilities are products of geometrical effects leading to poor constrainment of the energy estimator 1000 m from the shower axis, this thesis explores reconstructions using the signal at 1500 m, but, finding the instabilities exacerbated, separate reconstructions for the different geometric occurrences were conducted. Investigating the golden hybrid events, this method was found to reduce instabilities between LDFs and energy estimators.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics

Grantor dc:publisher

Colorado School of Mines. Arthur Lakes Library

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Bridgeman, Ariel M.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Sarazin, Frederic

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Flournoy, Alex
• Wiencke, Lawrence

• astroparticle physics
• Auger Observatory

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright of the original work is retained by the author.

Language dc:language.iso

eng, English

Identifier

T 7532

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.mines.edu:11124/447