GIGAS: a set of microwave sensor arrays to detect molecular bremsstrahlung radiation from extensive air shower

TL;DR

This paper introduces the GIGAS microwave sensor arrays at the Pierre Auger observatory, designed to detect molecular bremsstrahlung radiation from extensive air showers caused by ultra high energy cosmic rays.

Contribution

It presents the design, deployment, calibration, and sensitivity analysis of novel microwave sensor arrays for detecting air shower radiation.

Findings

Successful deployment of sensor arrays at Pierre Auger

Calibration results demonstrate array sensitivity

Detection capability for molecular bremsstrahlung radiation

Abstract

We present the GIGAS (Gigahertz Identification of Giant Air Shower) microwave radio sensor arrays of the EASIER project (Extensive Air Shower Identification with Electron Radiometers), deployed at the site of the Pierre Auger cosmic ray observatory. The aim of these novel arrays is to probe the intensity of the molecular bremsstrahlung radiation expected from the development of the extensive air showers produced by the interaction of ultra high energy cosmic rays in the atmosphere. In the designed setup, the sensors are embedded within the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger observatory allowing us to use the particle signals at ground level to trigger the radio system. A series of seven, then 61 sensors have been deployed in the C-band, followed by a new series of 14 higher sensitivity ones in the C-band and the L-band. The design, the operation, the calibration and the sensitivity to extensive air showers of these arrays are described in this paper.