Search for microwave emission from ultrahigh energy cosmic rays

The most precise method of high energy cosmic ray detection - the fluorescence technique - has the drawback of being usable only during clear moonless nights amounting to about 15% of the time. This paper presents an effort to develop an alternative technique independent of daylight or weather conditions. A telescope detecting cosmic ray air showers in a microwave range was realized at the University of Chicago campus. The paper presents this experiment (MIDAS), first measurements and results.

Our team member got involved in the construction, testing and calibration of the MIDAS telescope. When the telescope was transferred to the Auger site in Argentina we participated again in the mounting, connecting and testing of the experimental setup. The aim of our group is to investigate the feasibility of this method also in laboratory conditions at Frascati and Argonne accelerators where we benefit from the previous experience gained at the AirFly project.

One of the candidate 4-pixel events found in the data exhibiting topology which is consistent with expectations from an etensiv air showers.

[1] J. Alvarez-Muniz et al (MIDAS Collaboration, z FZÚ M. Boháčová) Search for microwave emission from ultrahigh energy cosmic rays Phys. Rev. D 86 (2012) 051104-1 - 051104-5.