CASA-BLANCA: A Large Non-imaging Cherenkov Detector at CASA-MIA

TL;DR

CASA-BLANCA is a large non-imaging Cherenkov detector array designed to study cosmic ray air showers and determine the composition of primary cosmic rays in the energy range of 300 to 30,000 TeV.

Contribution

It introduces a novel large-scale non-imaging Cherenkov detector array capable of simultaneous sampling of multiple components of air showers.

Findings

Successful construction and operation of the CASA-BLANCA array.

Potential to analyze primary cosmic ray composition in the 300-30,000 TeV range.

Enhanced understanding of air shower development through lateral Cherenkov light distribution.

Abstract

The lateral distribution of Cherenkov light at ground level records important information on the development of the cosmic ray air shower which produces it. We have constructed an array of 144 non-imaging Cherenkov detectors at the CASA-MIA experiment site in Dugway, Utah. The various arrays can sample simultaneously the lateral distributions of electrons, muons, and Cherenkov light at many locations. We describe the design and operation of the CASA-BLANCA experiment and its potential to address the composition of primary cosmic rays between 300 and 30,000 TeV.