Atmospheric "super test beam" for 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

We present results from 200 hours of operation of an atmospheric super test beam system developed for the Pierre Auger Observatory. The approximate optical equivalence is that of a 100 EeV air shower. This new system combines a Raman backscatter LIDAR receiver with a calibrated pulsed UV laser system to generate a test beam in which the number of photons in the beam can be determined at ground level and as a function of height in the atmosphere where high energy air showers develop. The data have been recorded simultaneously by the Raman receiver and by a single mirror optical cosmic ray detector that tested the new system by measuring the side-scattered laser light across a horizontal distance of 39 km. The new test beam instrument will be moved from the R&D location in southeast Colorado to the Pierre Auger Observatory location in Argentina to effect a major upgrade of the central laser facility.