Was the Highest Energy Cosmic Ray a Photon?
P. Homola (1), M. Risse (1, 2), D. Gora (1), D. Heck (2), H. Klages, (2), J. Pekala (1), B. Wilczynska (1), H. Wilczynski (1) ((1) Institute of, Nuclear Physics PAS, Krakow, Poland (2) Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Germany)
TL;DR
This paper investigates whether the highest energy cosmic ray could be a photon by analyzing air shower data with Monte Carlo simulations, emphasizing the need for a northern observatory to improve photon detection.
Contribution
It introduces a Monte Carlo simulation method incorporating geomagnetic effects to identify ultra-high energy photons in cosmic ray data.
Findings
Simulation method for UHE photon identification
Importance of northern Auger site for photon detection
Analysis framework for future observatory data
Abstract
The hypothetical photonic origin of the most energetic air shower detected by the Fly's Eye experiment is discussed. The method used for the analysis is based on Monte Carlo simulations including the effect of precascading of ultra-high energy (UHE) photons in the geomagnetic field. The application of this method to data expected from the Pierre Auger Observatory is discussed. The importance of complementing the southern Auger location by a northern site for UHE photon identification is pointed out.
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Taxonomy
TopicsAstrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena · Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena · Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae