Eric James Mannel

The prototype high-resolution Fly's Eye cosmic ray detector

Abstract The High-Resolution Flys Eye (HiRes) is an observatory for the highest energy cosmic rays. It detects the nitrogen fluorescence light induced by the passage of giant cosmic ray extensive air showers through the atmosphere. A two-site prototype of the observatory was operated from September 1994 to November 1996. In this paper we describe the components of that detector, and the procedures used to calibrate the detector and characterise the atmosphere. Data collected by the HiRes prototype are being used for physics studies, including an analysis of the cosmic ray mass composition in the energy range from 10 17 to 10 18 eV .

FADC-based DAQ for HiRes Fly's Eye

Abstract This paper describes a data acquisition system for optical telescopes studying extensive air showers for the High Resolution Flys Eye Project at Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah. The measurements are based entirely on flash-analog-to-digital conversion of phototube signals, digitized continuously at 10xa0MHz, and stored in a deep (820xa0μs) pipeline, for deadtimeless readout following a parallel pipeline trigger. The massive parallel processing by digital signal processors and programmable logic devices is distributed site-wide, with 42 telescopes and a central facility linked by optical fiber. The system was designed and built at Columbia University, Nevis Laboratories.

Steerable laser system for UV atmospheric monitoring at the High-Resolution Fly's Eye

Monitoring the aerosol component of the lowest 10 km of the atmosphere at UV wavelengths (300 - 400 nm) is an important part of the High Resolution Flys Eye astrophysics experiment. Our method of atmospheric monitoring uses a frequency tripled YAG laser and a steering system that can point the beam anywhere in the sky. The same detector that measures scintillation light from high energy cosmic rays also measures light scattered from this laser system over a range of laser energies, geometries, and polarizations. This paper describes the technique, the laser system, and some recent measurements.

System Electronics and DAQ for the Silicon Vertex Detector Upgrade for PHENIX

The PHENIX experiment at RHIC will be upgraded with a silicon vertex detector (VTX). The VTX is comprised of 4 barrels of silicon detectors. The inner two barrels will be implemented with pixel detectors read out using the ALICE1LHCb readout chip. The pixel detectors and readout chips are mounted on a high density interconnect (PIXEL bus) allowing data to be read out at 10 MHz. The outer two barrels will be implemented with a novel stripixel sensor designed by the Brookhaven National Laboratory Instrumentation Division. Each stripixel sensor will be instrumented with 12 SVX4 readout chips and controlled by a custom ASIC designed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory allowing for high speed read out. We will report of the design and status of the read out and Data Acquisition system for PHENIX VTX detector.