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17-07-2007
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Cosmic Ray sensor

Submitter: Rob Millenaar
Description: LOFAR isn't the only project deploying sensors in the field. The Pierre Auger Observatory near Malargüe, Argentina is doing the same. It appears, however, that the similarities end right there: the sensors look radically different and the scenery is very unlike the fields at Exloo. You're looking at one of the 1600 water tanks that contain a set of three photomultiplier tubes that detect flashes of light as a high energy cosmic particle zaps through the water inside the tank. The Andes moutain range adds a special flavor to the scene.
The signals are processed in the sensor's electronics, are time tagged and sent to a central facility by radio link. So, just like LOFAR, the PAO is indeed a multi-sensor facility. And signals from all sensors are combined to allow assessment of location, direction and energy of the incoming particle.
Cosmic Ray science is one of the Key Science Projects of LOFAR: the radio domain offers another window on the physics involved when these particles slam into the Earth's atmosphere. One day we may see LOFAR technology deployed in Argentina to complement the array of sensors for the radio domain.
Copyright: Rob Millenaar
 
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