The Pierre Auger Observatory Operating Funds Request

Universities Research Association Inc, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Cosmic rays produced in the Universe’s most extreme astrophysical events have been detected at the highest energies recorded to date, far exceeding those realized at human-made particle accelerators. The sources of these ultra-high energy cosmic rays remain one of the most compelling long-term mysteries in particle astrophysics. The Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO) is the largest cosmic ray detector ever operated. Located in Malargüe, Argentina, the observatory was constructed by an international collaboration of 18 countries and instruments an area of 3000 square-kilometers. Since commencing operation in 2008, the PAO has recorded the interactions of more than 200,000 of the highest energy particles in the Universe. This award provides partial funding for the continuing operation of the PAO. With an advanced data analysis program and the AugerPrime detector upgrade underway, the observatory will continue to be an important training ground for student and postdoctoral researchers. The observatory also promotes extensive outreach initiatives both locally through its Visitor Center and internationally, including agreements with planetariums and museums within the US. An actively developed online data access program with accompanying visualization and analysis tools brings the science of the observatory to the public around the world. The PAO has accumulated the most extensive dataset of ultra-high energy (exceeding 2.5e18 eV) cosmic rays recorded to date, providing world-leading precision in the measurements of the ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic ray spectrum, composition, and arrival directions. The next five-year operating period for the observatory is set to tackle a number of key questions including the origin of the observed features in the energy spectrum, the sources of UHE cosmic rays and the search for new physics at particle energies above 100 TeV. The observatory is currently undergoing an upgrade, AugerPime, and combined with larger statistic data sets and planned improvements in the analysis methods, significant enhancement in the ability to address the above questions is anticipated. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.