Bonn 2010 – scientific programme

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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 113: Experimentelle Techniken der Astroteilchenphysik III

T 113.2: Talk

Thursday, March 18, 2010, 17:00–17:15, HG ÜR 1

Radio air-shower detection at the South Pole — •Jan Auffenberg, Klaus Helbing, Karl-Heinz Kampert, Timo Karg, and Andreas Schultes — Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Fachbereich C, 42097 Wuppertal

Extensive air showers are detectable by radio signals with a radio surface detector. A promising theory of the dominant emission process is the coherent synchrotron radiation emitted by e⁺ e⁻ shower particles in the Earth’s magnetic field. A radio air shower detector can extend IceTop, the air shower detector on top of IceCube. This could increase the sensitivity of IceTop to higher energies and for inclined showers. Muons from air-showers are a major part of the background of the neutrino telescope IceCube. Thus a surface radio air shower detector could act as a veto detector for this muonic background. Initial radio background measurements with a single antenna in 2007 revealed a continuous electromagnetic background promising a low energy threshold. However, short pulsed radio interferences can mimic real signals and need to be identified. These properties of the e. m. background were measured at the South Pole during the Antarctic winter 2009 with two different types of surface antennas. In 2010 an 8 channel surface detector was installed. Together with background measurements a self trigger strategy with large dipole antennas on the South Pole snow ground will be tested. The results of these site explorations will be presented. Monte Carlo simulations give an estimate on the detectable flux of the antenna array.