Speaker
Description
Clarifying the origin and nature of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) is of the uppermost importance in the astroparticle physics. The Fluorescence detector Array of Single-pixel Telescopes (FAST) is a design for a next-generation ground-based UHECR observatory, addressing the requirements for a large-area, low-cost detector suitable for detecting the properties of UHECRs with an unprecedented aperture. The full-scale FAST prototype consists of four 200 mm photomultiplier tubes at the focus of a segmented mirror of 1.6 m in diameter. Over the last five years, three prototypes have been installed at the Telescope Array Experiment in Utah, USA, and one prototype at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Mendoza, Argentina, for remote observation of UHECRs in both hemispheres.We report on the latest results of these FAST prototypes including telescope calibrations, atmospheric monitoring by distant ultra-violet laser and all-sky astronomical camera, ongoing electronics upgrade, development of sophisticated reconstruction methods and UHECR detections. We also discuss possible benefits to the Telescope Array Experiment and the Pierre Auger Observatory, such as comparing the transparency of the atmosphere above both experiments, a study of the systematic uncertainty associated with their existing fluorescence detectors, and a cross-calibration of their energy and $X_{\rm{max}}$ scales.
Keywords
Ultra-high-energy cosmic ray, extensive air shower, energy spectrum, mass composition, anisotropy, fluorescence technique
| Subcategory | Future projects |
|---|---|
| Collaboration | other (fill field below) |
| other Collaboration | FAST |
