The SLAC T-510 experiment for radio emission from particle showers: detailed simulation study and interpretation

TL;DR

This study combines detailed laboratory measurements and simulations to accurately model radio emissions from particle showers, validating microscopic formalisms with high precision and enhancing understanding of air shower detection.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive simulation framework validated against controlled laboratory data, improving the accuracy of radio emission predictions from particle showers.

Findings

Simulations agree with measurements within 5-11% depending on formalism.

Reflections within the target significantly affect systematic uncertainties.

Validated microscopic formalisms support reliable air shower simulations.

Abstract

Over the last several decades, radio detection of air showers has been widely used to detect ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. We developed an experiment under controlled laboratory conditions at SLAC with which we measured the radio-frequency radiation from a charged particle shower produced by bunches of electrons as primaries with known energy. The shower took place in a target made of High Density Polyethylene located in a strong magnetic field. The experiment was designed so that Askaryan and magnetically-induced components of the radio emission could be measured independently. At the same time, we performed a detailed simulation of this experiment to predict the radio signal using two microscopic formalisms, endpoint and ZHS. In this paper, we present the simulation scheme and make a comparison with data characteristics such as linearity with magnetic field and amplitude. The simulations agree with the measurements within uncertainties and present a good description of the data. In particular, reflections within the target that accounted for the largest systematic uncertainties are addressed. The prediction of the amplitude of Askaryan emission agrees with measurements to within 5% for the endpoint formalism and 11% for the ZHS formalism. The amplitudes of magnetically-induced emission agree to within 5% for the endpoint formalism and less than 1% for the ZHS formalism. The agreement of the absolute scale of emission gives confidence in state-of-the-art air shower simulations which are based on the applied formalisms.