Expected performance of the K-EUSO space-based observatory

TL;DR

K-EUSO is a space-based UV telescope on the ISS designed to detect ultra-high energy cosmic rays by observing atmospheric fluorescence, with performance estimates including exposure, event rate, and reconstruction accuracy.

Contribution

This paper provides the first detailed performance estimates of the K-EUSO space observatory for UHECR detection, including exposure and reconstruction capabilities.

Findings

Estimated large sky exposure at 400 km altitude

Projected event rates as a function of energy

Expected resolution for arrival directions and energies

Abstract

K-EUSO is a planned mission of the JEM-EUSO program for the study of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) from space, to be deployed on the International Space Station. The K-EUSO observatory consists of a UV telescope with a wide field of view, which aims at the detection of fluorescence light emitted by extensive air showers (EAS) in the atmosphere. The EAS events will be sampled with a time resolution of $\sim$1-2.5 s to reconstruct the entire shower profile with high precision. The detector consisting of $\sim$$10^5$ independent pixels will allow a spatial resolution of $\sim$700 m on ground. From a 400 km altitude, K-EUSO will achieve a large and full sky exposure to sample the highest energy range of the UHECR spectrum. In this contribution, we present estimates of the performance of the observatory: an estimation of the expected exposure and triggered event rate as a function of energy and the event reconstruction performance, including resolution of arrival directions and energy of UHECRs.