The Central Laser Facility at the Pierre Auger Observatory

TL;DR

The paper describes the Central Laser Facility at the Pierre Auger Observatory, which uses a UV laser to calibrate and test atmospheric conditions and detectors for cosmic ray observations.

Contribution

It introduces the design and capabilities of the Central Laser Facility, highlighting its role in atmospheric studies and detector calibration at the Pierre Auger Observatory.

Findings

Laser provides a controlled test beam for atmospheric calibration.

Tracks from laser light help analyze nitrogen fluorescence signals.

Facility supports hybrid timing and detector performance assessments.

Abstract

The Central Laser Facility is located near the middle of the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina. It features a UV laser and optics that direct a beam of calibrated pulsed light into the sky. Light scattered from this beam produces tracks in the Auger optical detectors which normally record nitrogen fluorescence tracks from cosmic ray air showers. The Central Laser Facility provides a "test beam" to investigate properties of the atmosphere and the fluorescence detectors. The laser can send light via optical fiber simultaneously to the nearest surface detector tank for hybrid timing analyses. We describe the facility and show some examples of its many uses.