Cosmic-ray anisotropies in right ascension measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory

Collaboration
Feb 14, 2020
13 pages
Published in:
  • Astrophys.J. 891 (2020) 142
  • Published: Mar 13, 2020
e-Print:
DOI:
Report number:
  • FERMILAB-PUB-20-076,
  • FERMILAB-PUB-20-076-ND-PPD-TD
Experiments:

Citations per year

20202021202220232024101715
Abstract: (arXiv)
We present measurements of the large-scale cosmic-ray anisotropies in right ascension, using data collected by the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory over more than 14 years. We determine the equatorial dipole component, d\vec{d}_\perp, through a Fourier analysis in right ascension that includes weights for each event so as to account for the main detector-induced systematic effects. For the energies at which the trigger efficiency of the array is small, the ``East-West'' method is employed. Besides using the data from the array with detectors separated by 1500 m, we also include data from the smaller but denser sub-array of detectors with 750 m separation, which allows us to extend the analysis down to 0.03\sim 0.03 EeV. The most significant equatorial dipole amplitude obtained is that in the cumulative bin above 8~EeV, d=6.00.9+1.0d_\perp=6.0^{+1.0}_{-0.9}%, which is inconsistent with isotropy at the 6σ\sigma level. In the bins below 8 EeV, we obtain 99% CL upper-bounds on dd_\perp at the level of 1 to 3 percent. At energies below 1 EeV, even though the amplitudes are not significant, the phases determined in most of the bins are not far from the right ascension of the Galactic center, at αGC=94\alpha_{\rm GC}=-94^\circ, suggesting a predominantly Galactic origin for anisotropies at these energies. The reconstructed dipole phases in the energy bins above 4 EeV point instead to right ascensions that are almost opposite to the Galactic center one, indicative of an extragalactic cosmic ray origin.
Note:
  • Accepted by ApJ
  • Submitted to ApJ
  • cosmic radiation: anisotropy
  • detector: surface
  • trigger: efficiency
  • dipole
  • galaxy
  • observatory
  • Auger