| Grant number: | 15/15735-1 |
| Support type: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate |
| Effective date (Start): | May 01, 2016 |
| Effective date (End): | April 30, 2020 |
| Field of knowledge: | Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy |
| Principal Investigator: | Ivone Freire da Mota e Albuquerque |
| Grantee: | Washington Rodrigues de Carvalho Junior |
| Home Institution: | Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
| Associated scholarship(s): | 18/18876-3 - Optimization of the OVRO-LWA radio array for cosmic-ray detection, BE.EP.PD |
Abstract This project falls in the field of astroparticle physics, more specifically in the area of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. Discrepancies between the results of the major experiments regarding the composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays illustrate the fact that this composition is not yet clear. Thus we propose this project, which focuses in the use of the radio detection technique for composition studies of ultra high energy cosmic rays. We will investigate the radio technique as an alternative and independent method for determining the composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays, but also explore how it can be used in conjunction with the more established detection techniques. We will investigate various composition sensitive observables that can be obtained by the radio techinique, such as the behaviour of the frequency spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation (spectral index), Xmax and the ratio between the electromagnetic and muonic componets of inclined showers. We will also develop a multivariate method of composition discrimination, capable of using these new radio observables along with the more traditional ones from other detection techniques, simultaneously. This project will be developed in two fronts. One concerns the application of these new methods to a generic detector. The other, in the context of the Pierre Auger Collaboration, will use the data from the Observatory not only to evaluate the devised methods, but also apply these new approaches to the thousands of radio events obtained with AERA (Auger Engineering Radio Array), part of the Observatory. The aim is to increase both the discrimination capacity and the statistics of composition studies of ultra-high energy cosmic rays by using these new radio observables. (AU) | |