Low energy radiation measurements with the water Cherenkov detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

THE PIERRE AUGER COLLABORATION (AUTOR 434 DE 474); M. TUEROS (COAUTOR)

Beijing

Conferencia; 32nd International Cosmic Ray Conference 2011; 2011

Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

The flux of secondary cosmic ray particles recorded in the 1660 water Cherenkov detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory is continuously monitored and analysed for calibration purposes. It is possible to study the flux of primary cosmic rays within the GeV to TeV energy range using calibration histograms of the total energy deposited in the detectors, or data from low threshold scaler counters, which are publicly available. The observed flux is affected by several factors, such as solar activity, the directional properties of Galactic cosmic rays, and local meteorological conditions. The measured secondary flux (of the order of 108 counts per minute) can provide important data on these factors by virtue of the high counting rates which are possible due to the large collecting area of the whole array. Current results of the analysis of each of these factors are presented.