3D Reconstruction of Extensive Air Showers from Fluorescence Data

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel 3D reconstruction method for extensive air showers using fluorescence detector data, enabling detailed analysis of shower profiles and combining multiple observations, though still in early development.

Contribution

It proposes a new 3D reconstruction technique for air showers from fluorescence data, integrating spatial and temporal information for improved analysis.

Findings

Allows simultaneous access to longitudinal and lateral shower profiles.

Enables straightforward combination of multiple observations.

Method is in early development and not yet used for general data reconstruction.

Abstract

A new method to reconstruct the 3-dimensional structure of extensive air showers, seen by fluorescence detectors, is proposed. The observation of the shower is done in 2-dimensional pixels, for consecutive time bins. Time corresponds to a third dimension. Assuming that the cosmic ray shower propagates as a plane wave front moving at the speed of light, a complex 3D volume in space can be associated to each measured charge (per pixel and time bin). The 3D description in space allows a simultaneous access to the longitudinal and lateral profiles of each shower. In the case that several eyes observe the same shower, the method gives a straight-forward combination of all the information. This method is in an early phase of development and is not used for the general reconstruction of the Auger data.