2009/07/24 by The Pierre Auger Collaboration, J. Abraham, P. Abreu +539 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Neutrino Physics Research #astro-ph.IM
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.nima.2010.04.023
published as Nucl.Instrum.Meth.A620:227-251,2010 · 53 pages. Submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A
arxiv created 2009/07/24 · openalex publication_date 2010/05/26 · arxiv updated 2010/09/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
The Pierre Auger Observatory is a hybrid detector for ultra-high energy cosmic rays. It combines a surface array to measure secondary particles at ground level together with a fluorescence detector to measure the development of air showers in the atmosphere above the array. The fluorescence detector comprises 24 large telescopes specialized for measuring the nitrogen fluorescence caused by charged particles of cosmic ray air showers. In this paper we describe the components of the fluorescence detector including its optical system, the design of the camera, the electronics, and the systems for relative and absolute calibration. We also discuss the operation and the monitoring of the detector. Finally, we evaluate the detector performance and precision of shower reconstructions.