Performance of the Pierre Auger Observatory Surface Detector

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the performance and reliability of the Pierre Auger Observatory's surface detector array, focusing on hardware components, power systems, and measurement accuracy after three years of operation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive assessment of the detector components, power systems, and long-term stability, which is crucial for cosmic ray research.

Findings

High accuracy in signal measurement

Stable trigger performance over years

Reliable solar power and hardware stability

Abstract

The Surface Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory will consist of 1600 water Cherenkov tanks sampling ground particles of air showers produced by energetic cosmic rays. The arrival times are obtained from GPS and power is provided by solar panels. The construction of the array is nearly completed and a large number of detectors has been operational for more than three years. In this paper the performance of different components of the detectors are discussed. The accuracy of the signal measurement and the trigger stability are presented. The performance of the solar power system and other hardware, as well as the water purity and its long-term stability are discussed.