The EUSO-TA ground-based detector: results and perspectives

TL;DR

EUSO-TA is a ground-based UV telescope designed to validate space-based cosmic ray detectors, successfully detecting 9 UHECR events and measuring various atmospheric and anthropogenic signals since 2013.

Contribution

This paper reports on the operational status, recent results, and future upgrade plans of the EUSO-TA detector for observing ultra-high-energy cosmic rays.

Findings

Detection of 9 UHECR events confirmed by TA observations

Measurement of night-sky UV background and atmospheric signals

Upgrade to EUSO-TA2 for enhanced observation capabilities

Abstract

EUSO--TA is a ground-based telescope installed in 2013 in the Black Rock Mesa Telescope Array (BRM-TA) site, operating with 2.5$\mu$s time resolution to observe the night sky in the UV range. The optical system contains two 1m$^2$ Fresnel lenses providing to the telescope a field of view of $11^\circ \times 11^\circ$. Signals are focused on the Photo Detector Module (PDM), with the focal surface composed of 36 Hamamatsu Multi-Anode PhotoMultiplier Tubes (MAPMTs), with 64 pixels/anodes each. The telescope is housed in a shed in front of the BRM-TA fluorescence detectors, and it is viewing towards azimuth $\sim307^\circ$. The main aim of the experiment is to validate the design of the JEM-EUSO detectors and firmware with the final goal of observing ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) from space. Since the first installation of the EUSO-TA detector, 9 UHECR events have been detected and confirmed by comparison with TA observations. The night-sky UV background in different conditions, signals from stars and meteors have been measured, and anthropogenic signals, such as calibration lasers or planes. In 2019 an upgrade of the detector to a EUSO-TA2 version began, with a Covid brake till 2022. The new configuration will allow for more frequent and specialized observations. In this work, we present the status and perspectives of the EUSO-TA experiment, including a discussion of recently obtained results.