Estimation of $X_\mathrm{max}$ for air showers measured at IceCube with elevated radio antennas of a prototype surface station

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the use of elevated radio antennas at IceCube's surface station to estimate the depth of maximum air-shower development ($X_ ext{max}$), enhancing cosmic-ray composition analysis capabilities.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method combining radio antenna measurements with CoREAS simulations to estimate $X_ ext{max}$ at South Pole.

Findings

Successful $X_ ext{max}$ estimation using radio antennas

Validation of the reconstruction method with prototype data

Potential for improved cosmic-ray composition studies

Abstract

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the geographic South Pole is, with its surface and in-ice detectors, used for both neutrino and cosmic-ray physics. The surface array, named IceTop, consists of ice-Cherenkov tanks grouped in 81 pairs spanning a 1 km$^2$ area. An enhancement of the surface array, composed of elevated scintillation panels and radio antennas, was designed over the last years in order to increase the scientific capabilities of IceTop. The surface radio antennas, in particular, will be able to reconstruct $X_\mathrm{max}$, an observable widely used to determine the mass composition of cosmic rays. A complete prototype station of this enhanced array was deployed in the Austral summer of 2019/20 at the South Pole. This station comprises three antennas and eight scintillation panels, arranged in a three-arms star shape. The nominal frequency band of the radio antennas is 70 to 350 MHz. In this work, we use a state-of-the-art reconstruction method in which observed events are compared directly to CoREAS simulations to obtain an estimation of the air-shower variables, in particular, energy and $X_\mathrm{max}$. We will show the results in this unique frequency band using the three prototype antennas.