Stereo data collected by the HiRes experiment over a six-year period are examined for large-scale anisotropy related to the inhomogeneous distribution of matter in the nearby universe. We consider the generic case of small cosmic-ray deflections and a large number of sources tracing the matter distribution. In this matter tracer model the expected cosmic-ray flux depends essentially on a single free parameter, the typical deflection angle θs. We find that the HiRes data with threshold energies of 40 EeV and 57 EeV are incompatible with the matter tracer model at a 95% confidence level unless θs > 10° and are compatible with an isotropic flux. The data set above 10 EeV is compatible with both the matter tracer model and an isotropic flux.
The High Resolution Fly’s Eye (HiRes) experiment has measured the flux of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays using the stereoscopic air fluorescence technique. The HiRes experiment consists of two detectors that observe cosmic ray showers via the fluorescence light they emit. HiRes data can be analyzed in monocular mode, where each detector is treated separately, or in stereoscopic mode where they are considered together. Using the monocular mode the HiRes collaboration measured the cosmic ray spectrum and made the first observation of the Greisen–Zatsepin–Kuzmin cutoff. In this paper we present the cosmic ray spectrum measured by the stereoscopic technique. Good agreement is found with the monocular spectrum in all details.
Air-fluorescence detectors such as the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) detector are very sensitive to upward-going, Earth-skimming ultrahigh energy electron-neutrino-induced showers. This is due to the relatively large interaction cross sections of these high-energy neutrinos and to the Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal (LPM) effect. The LPM effect causes a significant decrease in the cross sections for bremsstrahlung and pair production, allowing charged-current electron-neutrino-induced showers occurring deep in the Earth's crust to be detectable as they exit the Earth into the atmosphere. A search for upward-going neutrino-induced showers in the HiRes-II monocular dataset has yielded a null result. From an LPM calculation of the energy spectrum of charged particles as a function of primary energy and depth for electron-induced showers in rock, we calculate the shape of the resulting profile of these showers in air. We describe a full detector Monte Carlo simulation to determine the detector response to upward-going electron-neutrino-induced cascades and present an upper limit on the flux of electron-neutrinos.
We report the results of a search for point-like deviations from isotropy in the arrival directions of ultra-high energy cosmic rays in the northern hemisphere. In the monocular data set collected by the High-Resolution Fly's Eye, consisting of 1525 events with energy exceeding 10(18.5) eV, we find no evidence for point-like excesses. We place a 90% c.1. upper limit of 0.8 hadronic cosmic rays/km(2) yr on the flux from such sources for the northern hemisphere and place tighter limits as a function of position in the sky. Published by Elsevier B.V.
We report the results of a search for point-like deviations from isotropy in the arrival directions of ultra-high energy cosmic rays in the northern hemisphere. In the monocular data set collected by the High-Resolution Fly’s Eye, consisting of 1525 events with energy exceeding 1018.5eV, we find no evidence for point-like excesses. We place a 90% c.l. upper limit of 0.8 hadronic cosmic rays/km2yr on the flux from such sources for the northern hemisphere and place tighter limits as a function of position in the sky.
We describe several techniques developed by the High Resolution Fly's Eye experiment for measuring aerosol vertical optical depth, aerosol horizontal attenuation length, and aerosol phase function. The techniques are based on measurements of side-scattered light generated by a steerable ultraviolet laser and collected by an optical detector designed to measure fluorescence light from cosmic-ray air showers. We also present a technique to cross-check the aerosol optical depth measurement using air showers observed in stereo. These methods can be used by future air fluorescence experiments.
Air fluorescence measurements of cosmic ray energy must be corrected for attenuation of the atmosphere. In this paper we show that the air-showers themselves can yield a measurement of the aerosol attenuation in terms of optical depth, time-averaged over extended periods. Although the technique lacks statistical power to make the critical hourly measurements that only specialized active instruments can achieve, we note the technique does not depend on absolute calibration of the detector hardware, and requires no additional equipment beyond the fluorescence detectors that observe the air showers. This paper describes the technique, and presents results based on analysis of 1258 air-showers observed in stereo by the High Resolution Fly's Eye over a four year span.
We present the results of a search for cosmic-ray point sources at energies in excess of 4.0 x 10(19) eV in the combined data sets recorded by the Akeno Giant Air Shower Array and High Resolution Fly's Eye stereo experiments. The analysis is based on a maximum likelihood ratio test using the probability density function for each event rather than requiring an a priori choice of a fixed angular bin size. No statistically significant clustering of events consistent with a point source is found.
We present the results of a search for cosmic-ray point sources at energies in excess of 4.0 × 1019 eV in the combined data sets recorded by the Akeno Giant Air Shower Array and High Resolution Fly's Eye stereo experiments. The analysis is based on a maximum likelihood ratio test using the probability density function for each event rather than requiring an a priori choice of a fixed angular bin size. No statistically significant clustering of events consistent with a point source is found.
We report the results of a search for point-like deviations from isotropy in the arrival directions of ultra–high energy cosmic rays in the northern hemisphere. In the monocular data set collected by the High–Resolution Fly’s Eye, consisting of 1,525 events with energy exceeding 1018.5 eV, we find no evidence for point-like excesses. We place 90% c.l. upper limits less than or equal to 0.8 cosmic rays/km2yr on the flux from such sources as a function of position in the sky.
Several proposed source models for Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) consist of dipole distributions oriented towards major astrophysical landmarks such as the galactic center, M87, or Centaurus A. We use a comparison between real data and simulated data to show that the HiRes-I monocular data for energies above 10 eV is, in fact, consistent with an isotropic source model. We then explore methods to quantify our sensitivity to dipole source models oriented towards the Galactic Center, M87, and Centaurus A.
We have measured the cosmic ray spectrum above 10(17.2) eV using the two air-fluorescence detectors of the High Resolution Fly's Eye observatory operating in monocular mode. We describe the detector, phototube, and atmospheric calibrations, as well as the analysis techniques for the two detectors. We fit the spectrum to a model consisting of galactic and extragalactic sources.
In the past few years, small scale anisotropy has become a primary focus in the search for source of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs). The Akeno Giant Air Shower Array (AGASA) has reported the presence of clusters of event arrival directions in their highest energy data set. The High Resolution Fly’s Eye (HiRes) has accumulated an exposure in one of its monocular eyes at energies above 1019.5 eV comparable to that of AGASA. However, monocular events observed with an air fluorescence detector are characterized by highly asymmetric angular resolution. A method is developed for measuring autocorrelation with asymmetric angular resolution. It is concluded that HiRes-I observations are consistent with no autocorrelation and that the sensitivity to clustering of the HiRes-I detector is comparable to that of the reported AGASA data set. Furthermore, we state with a 90% confidence level that no more than 13% of the observed HiRes-I events above 1019.5 eV could be sharing common arrival directions. However, because a measure of autocorrelation makes no assumption of the underlying astrophysical mechanism that results in clustering phenomena, we cannot claim that the HiRes monocular analysis and the AGASA analysis are inconsistent beyond a specified confidence level.
Several proposed source models for ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) consist of dipole distributions oriented towards major astrophysical landmarks such as the galactic center, M87, or Centaurus A. We use a comparison between real data and simulated data to show that the HiRes-I monocular data for energies above 1018.5 eV is, in fact, consistent with an isotropic source model. We then explore methods to quantify our sensitivity to dipole source models oriented towards the Galactic Center, M87, and Centaurus A.
In the past few years, small scale anisotropy has become a primary focus in the search for source of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs). The Akeno Giant Air Shower Array (AGASA) has reported the presence of clusters of event arrival directions in their highest energy data set. The High Resolution Fly’s Eye (HiRes) has accumulated an exposure in one of its monocular eyes at energies above 1019.5 eV comparable to that of AGASA. However, monocular events observed with an air fluorescence detector are characterized by highly asymmetric angular resolution. A method is developed for measuring autocorrelation with asymmetric angular resolution. It is concluded that HiRes-I observations are consistent with no autocorrelation and that the sensitivity to clustering of the HiRes-I detector is comparable to that of the reported AGASA data set. Furthermore, we state with a 90% confidence level that no more than 13% of the observed HiRes-I events above 1019.5 eV could be sharing common arrival directions. However, because a measure of autocorrelation makes no assumption of the underlying astrophysical mechanism that results in clustering phenomena, we cannot claim that the HiRes monocular analysis and the AGASA analysis are inconsistent beyond a specified confidence level.
The MEGA experiment, which searched for the muon- and electron-number violating decay μ-> e + γ, is described. The spectrometer system, the calibrations, the data taking procedures, the data analysis, and the sensitivity of the experiment are discussed. The most stringent upper limit on the branching ratio of μ-> e + γ) < 1.2 x 10^{-11} was obtained.
High quality analyzing powers for the {Pi}{sup -}p{yields}{yields}{Pi}{sup 0}n reaction have been obtained with a polarized proton target over a broad angular range at incident kinetic energies of 98.1, 138.8, 165.9, and 214.4 MeV. This experiment nearly doubled the existing {Pi}N single-charge-exchange database for energies ranging from 10 to 230 MeV, with 36 new analyzing powers. The Neutral Meson Spectrometer was used to detect the outgoing neutral pions. The data are well described by recent phase-shift analyses. When combined with high-precision and accurate cross section data at the same energies, the data can provide a good test of the degree of isospin breaking in the region of the {Delta}(1232) resonance. They will also be helpful for constraining the evaluation of the pion-nucleon {sigma} term from the scattering amplitudes.
Asymmetries for the (pi(-), pi(0)) reaction on polarized He-3 were measured using a 200-MeV pion beam at LAMPF. The pi(0)'s were detected with the neutral meson spectrometer in coincidence with the recoiling tritons. A recoil triton detector, consisting of scintillation-counter telescopes and a wire chamber, was used to measure the time-of-flight, energy loss, and direction of the tritons. The polarized gaseous He-3 target, developed at TRIUMF, was modified to run with two diode lasers; the polarization reached 65%. The asymmetries between theta(lab)=60 degrees and 105 degrees were found to be strongly angle dependent. The results are compared with theoretical calculations. [S0556-2813(99)02208-6].