R. J. Protheroe

Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays

Cosmic rays with energies above 1018 eV are currently of considerable interest in astrophysics and are to be further studied in a number of projects which are either currently under construction or the subject of well-developed proposals. This paper aims to discuss some of the physics of such particles in terms of current knowledge and information from particle astrophysics at other energies.

Limit on the ultrahigh-energy neutrino flux from lunar observations with the Parkes radio telescope

We report a limit on the ultra-high-energy neutrino flux based on a non-detection of radio pulses from neutrino-initiated particle cascades in the Moon, in observations with the Parkes radio telescope undertaken as part of the LUNASKA project. Due to the improved sensitivity of these observations, which had an effective duration of 127 hours and a frequency range of 1.2-1.5 GHz, this limit extends to lower neutrino energies than those from previous lunar radio experiments, with a detection threshold below 10^20 eV. The calculation of our limit allows for the possibility of lunar-origin pulses being misidentified as local radio interference, and includes the effect of small-scale lunar surface roughness. The targeting strategy of the observations also allows us to place a directional limit on the neutrino flux from the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A.

Lunar detection of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos with the Square Kilometre Array

The origin of the most energetic particles in nature, the ultra-high-energy (UHE) cosmic rays, is still a mystery. Due to their extremely low flux, even the 3,000 km^2 Pierre Auger detector registers only about 30 cosmic rays per year with sufficiently high energy to be used for directional studies. A method to provide a vast increase in collecting area is to use the lunar technique, in which ground-based radio telescopes search for the nanosecond radio flashes produced when a cosmic ray interacts with the Moons surface. The technique is also sensitive to the associated flux of UHE neutrinos, which are expected from cosmic ray interactions during production and propagation, and the detection of which can also be used to identify the UHE cosmic ray source(s). An additional flux of UHE neutrinos may also be produced in the decays of topological defects from the early Universe. Observations with existing radio telescopes have shown that this technique is technically feasible, and established the required procedure: the radio signal should be searched for pulses in real time, compensating for ionospheric dispersion and filtering out local radio interference, and candidate events stored for later analysis. For the SKA, this requires the formation of multiple tied-array beams, with high time resolution, covering the Moon, with either SKA-LOW or SKA-MID. With its large collecting area and broad bandwidth, the SKA will be able to detect the known flux of UHE cosmic rays using the visible lunar surface - millions of square km - as the detector, providing sufficient detections of these extremely rare particles to solve the mystery of their origin.

M87 - A misaligned synchrotron-proton blazar?

Abstract The Fanaroff–Riley (FR) class 1 radio galaxy M87 is widely believed to be a misaligned blazar of BL Lac type. Its unresolved nuclear region is a strong non-thermal emitter of radio to X-ray photons that have been interpreted as synchrotron radiation. The recent detection of TeV-photons by the HEGRA-telescope array, if confirmed, would make it the first radio galaxy detected at TeV-energies. We discuss M87’s core emission in the context of the hadronic Synchrotron-Proton Blazar model. By modeling M87’s non-simultaneous spectral energy distribution we predict the peak power of the γ-ray component at ∼100 GeV at a flux level detectable for the new Cherenkov telescopes H.E.S.S., VERITAS and MAGIC. Thanks to M87’s proximity TeV photon absorption in the cosmic background radiation field is negligible. This offers for the first time the opportunity to directly trace the intrinsic high energy cutoff of a TeV-emitting blazar-like object.

LUNASKA neutrino search with the Parkes and ATCA telescopes

The Moon is used as a target volume for ultra-high energy neutrino searches with terrestrial radio telescopes. The LUNASKA project has conducted observations with the Parkes and ATCA telescopes; and, most recently, with both of them in combination. We present an analysis of the data obtained from these searches, including validation and calibration results for the Parkes-ATCA experiment, as well as a summary of prospects for future observations.

The lunar Askaryan technique with the Square Kilometre Array

The lunar Askaryan technique is a method to study the highest-energy cosmic rays and their predicted counterparts, the ultra-high-energy neutrinos. By observing the Moon with a radio telescope, and searching for the characteristic nanosecond-scale Askaryan pulses emitted when a high-energy particle interacts in the outer layers of the Moon, the visible lunar surface can be used as a detection area. Several previous experiments, at Parkes, Goldstone, Kalyazin, Westerbork, the ATCA, Lovell, LOFAR, and the VLA, have developed the necessary techniques to search for these pulses, but existing instruments have lacked the necessary sensitivity to detect the known flux of cosmic rays from such a distance. This will change with the advent of the SKA. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be the worlds most powerful radio telescope. To be built in southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand during the next decade, it will have an unsurpassed sensitivity over the key 100 MHz to few-GHZ band. We introduce a planned experiment to use the SKA to observe the highest-energy cosmic rays and, potentially, neutrinos. The estimated event rate will be presented, along with the predicted energy and directional resolution. Prospects for directional studies with phase 1 of the SKA will be discussed, as will the major technical challenges to be overcome to make full use of this powerful instrument. Finally, we show how phase 2 of the SKA could provide a vast increase in the number of detected cosmic rays at the highest energies, and thus to provide new insight into their spectrum and origin.

Status and Strategies of Current LUNASKA Lunar Cherenkov Observations with the Parkes Radio Telescope

Abstract LUNASKA (Lunar UHE Neutrino Astrophysics with the Square Kilometre Array) is an ongoing project conducting lunar Cherenkov observations in order to develop techniques for detecting neutrinos with the next generation of radio telescopes. Our current observing campaign is with the 64-metre Parkes radio telescope, using a multibeam receiver with 300xa0MHz of bandwidth from 1.2 to 1.5xa0GHz. Here we provide an overview of the various factors that must be considered in the signal processing for such an experiment. We also briefly describe the flux limits which we expect to set with our current observations, including a directional limit for Centaurus A.

Small-Angle Scattering and Diffusion: Application to Relativistic Shock Acceleration

We investigate ways of accurately simulating the propagation of energetic charged particles over small times where the standard Monte Carlo approximation to diffusive transport breaks down. We find that a small-angle scattering procedure with appropriately chosen step-lengths and scattering angles gives accurate results, and we apply this to the simulation of propagation upstream in relativistic shock acceleration.

The lunar Askaryan technique : a technical roadmap

The lunar Askaryan technique, which involves searching for Askaryan radio pulses from particle cascades in the outer layers of the Moon, is a method for using the lunar surface as an extremely large detector of ultra-high-energy particles. The high time resolution required to detect these pulses, which have a duration of around a nanosecond, puts this technique in a regime quite different from other forms of radio astronomy, with a unique set of associated technical challenges which have been addressed in a series of experiments by various groups. Implementing the methods and techniques developed by these groups for detecting lunar Askaryan pulses will be important for a future experiment with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), which is expected to have sufficient sensitivity to allow the first positive detection using this technique. Key issues include correction for ionospheric dispersion, beamforming, efficient triggering, and the exclusion of spurious events from radio-frequency interference. We review the progress in each of these areas, and consider the further progress expected for future application with the SKA.