Search for Cosmic Particles with the Moon and LOFAR

TL;DR

This paper proposes using the Moon as a detector for ultra-high energy cosmic particles by observing radio pulses with LOFAR, aiming to detect rare cosmic rays and neutrinos at energies above 10^22 eV.

Contribution

It introduces an initial design for lunar radio pulse detection with LOFAR to search for ultra-high energy cosmic rays and neutrinos, expanding current detection methods.

Findings

Conceptual framework for lunar radio pulse detection with LOFAR

Potential to detect ultra-high energy cosmic rays and neutrinos

Enhanced sensitivity to rare high-energy particles

Abstract

The low flux of the ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) at the highest energies provides a challenge to answer the long standing question about their origin and nature. A significant increase in the number of detected UHECR is expected to be achieved by employing Earth's moon as detector, and search for short radio pulses that are emitted when a particle interacts in the lunar rock. Observation of these short pulses with current and future radio telescopes also allows to search for the even lower fluxes of neutrinos with energies above $10^{22}$ eV, that are predicted in certain Grand-Unifying-Theories (GUTs), and e.g. models for super-heavy dark matter (SHDM). In this contribution we present the initial design for such a search with the LOFAR radio telescope.