The trigger based on the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) allows recognition of ADC traces of a specific shape i.e., with a very short rise time and fast exponential attenuation related to a narrow, ...flat muon component of very inclined extensive air showers generated by hadrons and starting their development early in the atmosphere ("old" showers). Showers, crossing a surface detector composed of water Cherenkov tanks, such as those in the Pierre Auger Observatory generate Cherenkov light, which may hit photomultipliers (PMTs) directly or after several reflections. The geometry of the water Cherenkov tank imposes a type of the filter preferring the detection of very inclined showers (with very large zenith angle), where mainly two PMTs can be hit by direct light. The 3rd PMT is then hit by reflected light, but with some delay. For the fast sampling (80 MHz), this delay causes the signal to appear in the next time bin. Two-fold coincidences of DCT coefficients allow triggering signals that are ignored at that time due to either too high an amplitude threshold for three-fold coincidences in a single time bin (the standard Auger threshold trigger) or due to the de-synchronization of the signals in time caused by the tank geometry (delay on one or more time bins due to a longer light path corresponding to the reflection on the tank walls). Three DCT engines implemented into EP3C40F324I7 FPGA use all DSP blocks and generate the spectral trigger, when 8 DCT coefficients simultaneously are inside the acceptance lane in at least 2 channels. An additional veto signal (analyzing the amplitude) controls the trigger rate to avoid a saturation of a transmission channel. In a test performed in the Pierre Auger laboratory in Malargue (Argentina), the spectral trigger has been tuned for shapes corresponding to "old" showers. Both laboratory and long-term field measurements on a test tank confirmed a high efficiency of the recognition of expected patterns of ADC traces. The patterns of the spectral trigger for "young" showers are being optimized in simulations. We expect to detect "young" showers close to their cores.
Analysis of inclined showers measured with LOPES Saftoiu, A.; Apel, W.D.; Arteaga, J.C. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
06/2009, Volume:
604, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
In the present study, we analyze the radio signal from inclined air showers recorded by LOPES-30 in coincidence with KASCADE-Grande. LOPES-30 consists of 30 East–West oriented digital antennas, which ...are amplitude calibrated by an external source.
Radio emission from air showers is considered a geomagnetic effect. Inclined events provide a larger range of values for geomagnetic angle (angle between shower axis and geomagnetic field direction) than vertical showers and thus more information on the emission processes can be gathered.
In order to have the geometry of the air shower we use the reconstruction provided by the KASCADE-Grande particle detectors array. Analyzing events observed by both LOPES and the extended part of the KASCADE array, Grande, gives the possibility to test in particular the capability and efficiency of radio detection of more distant events. The results are compared with a previous analysis of inclined events recorded by the initial 10 antenna set-up, LOPES-10, in coincidence with the Grande array.
Avalanches of secondary particles known as air showers consist from electromagnetic, hadron and muon components. For very inclined showers generated by hadrons, at the ground detection level only ...muon component survives forming thin muon pancake (~1m thickness). Ultra-relativistic charged particles crossing the water in a surface detector (SD) generate Cherenkov light detected by three PMTs. Direct hit of the Cherenkov light cone produces a signal pulse with a very short rise time and fast exponential attenuation.According to Nyquist theorem the spectrum of digitized signal should be cut-off above the frequency (f c ) equals a half of sampling frequency (f S ) by the anti-aliasing low-pass filter (AALPF). However, the AALPF suppresses the signal. Simulations and real measurements show that the amplitude may not be enough high for three-fold coincidences requiring be the T1 trigger.
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