GRANDProto300: status, science case, and prospects

TL;DR

GRANDProto300 is a planned 300-antenna radio array in China aiming to detect ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and other astrophysical phenomena, serving as a test bed for the larger GRAND experiment with promising scientific prospects.

Contribution

It introduces the design, deployment plan, and scientific goals of GRANDProto300, a novel mid-scale prototype for ultra-high-energy cosmic ray detection and related astrophysics.

Findings

Prototype status and commissioning progress

Expected detection rates comparable to Auger

Potential to study diverse astrophysical phenomena

Abstract

GRANDProto300, the mid-scale prototype of the GRAND experiment, is a planned radio array of 300 antennas over $200\, \rm km^{2}$ that will be deployed in the radio-quiet location of Xiao Dushan (China) by $\sim 2026$. The array will act as a test bench for the GRAND experiment and aim to achieve autonomous radio-detection and reconstructions of very inclined air showers in a large-scale array. GRANDProto300 will detect ultra-high-energy cosmic rays in the energy range $10^{16.5}-10^{18}\, \rm eV$ at a rate comparable to Auger. GRANDProto300 could also contain a ground particle array that would validate the performances of the radio detectors. We discuss the current status of the detector commissioning and the rich science case made possible by GRANDProto300, which covers the study of the Galactic-to-extragalactic transition, fast radio bursts and ultra-high-energy gamma-rays.