Studies of mass composition and hadronic interactions using the arrival times of the shower particles detected with the Surface Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

• Grant number: 16/19764-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: March 13, 2017
• End date: March 12, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Elementary Particle Physics and Fields
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Jose Todero Peixoto
• Grantee: Carlos Jose Todero Peixoto
• Host Investigator: Antonio Bueno
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Lorena , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidad de Granada (UGR), Spain

Abstract

The Pierre Auger Observatory is a Collaboration that in the last 12 years have contributed to explain many issues about cosmic ray and particle physics for energies above 10^18 eV, but in this trajectory it have come across with many others open questions. This project intends to contribute strongly to the understanding of these issues in three specific ways: a) infer the mass composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays using the arrival time information provided by the particles that reach the ground and are recorded by the Surface Detector of the Auger Observatory (this is one of the biggest problems that still remains open); b) identify the possible existence of a proton component in the flux of primary particles around or above the cut-off energies; and c) carry out a through study of the rise time and fall time of the FADC signals to understand the source of the discrepancy observed in the comparisons of experimental data and Monte Carlo simulations. To perform this project is required a strong and lasting collaboration with other institutions and researchers. I propose performing these works at the University of Granada under the supervision and in collaboration with Professor Antonio Bueno Villar, that have a long and productive experience in the Pierre Auger Observatory, being the co-spokesperson of the Collaboration. Another participant of this project will be the Professor Alan Watson of the University of Leeds, which is ones of the Observatory founders. In the Brazil the Professor Luiz Vitor de Souza Filho of the Instituto de Física de São Carlos/USP, that have a equal long experience in the Observatory, will also be part of this collaboration.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

GUILLEN, A.; BUENO, A.; CARCELLER, J. M.; MARTINEZ-VELAZQUEZ, J. C.; RUBIO, G.; TODERO PEIXOTO, C. J.; SANCHEZ-LUCAS, P.. Deep learning techniques applied to the physics of extensive air showers. Astroparticle Physics, v. 111, p. 12-22, SEP 2019. (16/19764-9)

HERRERA, LUIS JAVIER; TODERO PEIXOTO, CARLOS JOSE; BANOS, ORESTI; CARCELLER, JUAN MIGUEL; CARRILLO, FRANCISCO; GUILLEN, ALBERTO. Composition Classification of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays. Entropy, v. 22, n. 9, SEP 2020. (16/19764-9)