LOPES 3D reconfiguration and first measurements

TL;DR

LOPES 3D is a reconfigured cosmic ray radio detection experiment measuring all electric field components to improve sensitivity and understanding of air shower emissions, with initial calibration and measurement results.

Contribution

First experiment to measure all three electric field components simultaneously in cosmic ray radio detection, enhancing data completeness and sensitivity.

Findings

Successful reconfiguration and calibration of LOPES 3D.

First measurements of the full electric field vector from cosmic rays.

Improved potential for studying inclined air showers.

Abstract

The Radio detection technique of high-energy cosmic rays is based on the radio signal emitted by the charged particles in an air shower due to their deflection in the Earth's magnetic field. The LOPES experiment at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany with its simple dipoles made major contributions to the revival of this technique. LOPES is working in the frequency range from 40 to 80 MHz and was reconfigured several times to improve and further develop the radio detection technique. In the current setup LOPES consists of 10 tripole antennas which measure the complete electric field vector of the radio emission from cosmic rays. LOPES is the first experiment measuring all three vectorial components at once and thereby gaining the full information about the electric field vector and not only a two-dimensional projection. Such a setup including also measurements of the vertical electric field component is expected to increase the sensitivity to inclined showers and help to advance the understanding of the emission mechanism. We present the reconfiguration and calibration procedure of LOPES 3D and discuss first measurements.