Seminarium Fizyki Wielkich Energii

Cosmic rays have been an intriguing field of research since their discovery more than 100 years ago. The origin of these highest energetic particles still remain a mystery. When high-energy cosmic rays impinge upon the atmosphere, they create extensive air showers, which are cascades of secondary particles that are observed with various methods. Measuring the radio emission of air showers is a relatively new but increasingly popular method to extract information about the mass composition of cosmic rays. In this talk I will introduce the principles of radio detection technique focusing on the results obtained with The Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) radio telescope. I will describe the method of reconstructing the shower maximum Xmax- an important estimator of cosmic ray mass, and ways to enhance the accuray of Xmax estimation by including local atmospheric effects. We will also explore the prospects of other cosmic ray mass estimators in addition to Xmax. I will also explain the prospects of a semi-analytic air shower simulation code for radio emission that is few orders of magnitude faster than the conventional monte carlo counterparts. In the end, I will briefly mention our current research plans with GP300- a prototype for The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND).