Observation of Elves at the Pierre Auger Observatory

THE PIERRE AUGER COLLABORATION.; S. J. SCIUTTO

Conferencia; 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference; 2013

The ?elves? are transient luminous events generated by the sudden excitation of the lower ionosphere,caused by lightning. Exploiting a time resolution of 100 ns and a space resolution of about 1, the FluorescenceDetectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina can provide 2D imaging of elves, originating at distancesof several hundred kilometers, with unprecedented accuracy. Using 60 elves event candidates from prescaleddata taken in the period 2008-2011 by the Fluorescence Detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we haveredesigned the third level trigger of the experiment, in order to acquire elve data with much higher efficiency inthe coming years of operation. Preliminary results from the first months of data taking with the upgraded triggerwill be given.