Hadronic interactions and air shower physics with AugerPrime

• Grant number: 21/10992-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2021
• End date: October 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Elementary Particle Physics and Fields
• Principal Investigator: Carola Dobrigkeit Chinellato
• Grantee: Luan Bonneau Arbeletche
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/10151-2 - Study of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays with the Pierre Auger Observatory upgrade AugerPrime, AP.ESP

Abstract

The determination of particle composition is a central problem for interpreting any result of Astrophysics of Particles. However, the techniques of identification of the primary particle of the extensive atmospheric shower are still incipient. The most used techniques are based on determining the atmospheric depth (Xmax) in which the shower reaches the largest number of particles. However, other measurable physical variables also correlate with the identity of the primary particle. Among the most promising variables are the temporal evolution of the signal, the asymmetries of the shower, the inhomogeneities of the density of particles that reach the floor, the shape of the longitudinal profile and the density of muons. This project focuses on developing innovative techniques with multi-parametric analysis to determine the primary particle in particle astrophysics. The objective is to study the parameters mentioned above and find others and combine them with statistical tools that allow a better determination of the primary particle of extensive atmospheric showers. The project will use data from the extension of the Pierre Auger Observatory called AugerPrime, which will be dedicated to measuring muons. (AU)