Future Extensive Air Shower arrays: from Gamma-Ray Astronomy to Cosmic Rays

TL;DR

This paper discusses the development and goals of next-generation extensive air shower arrays, especially LHAASO, to address fundamental questions about cosmic rays and gamma-ray astronomy through advanced detection of air showers.

Contribution

It presents the status, scientific objectives, and outlook of the LHAASO project, a new multi-component EAS array at high altitude for studying cosmic rays and gamma rays.

Findings

LHAASO will operate in the 10$^{11}$ - 10$^{18}$ eV range.

The project aims to solve key questions about cosmic ray origins.

LHAASO's multi-component approach enhances detection capabilities.

Abstract

Despite large progresses in building new detectors and in the analysis techniques, the key questions concerning the origin, acceleration and propagation of Galactic Cosmic Rays are still open. A number of new EAS arrays is in progress. The most ambitious and sensitive project between them is LHAASO, a new generation multi-component experiment to be installed at very high altitude in China (Daocheng, Sichuan province, 4400 m a.s.l.). The experiment will face the open problems through a combined study of photon- and charged particle-induced extensive air showers in the wide energy range 10$^{11}$ - 10$^{18}$ eV. In this paper the status of the experiment will be summarized, the science program presented and the outlook discussed in comparison with leading new projects.