W. Hanlon

Techniques for measuring atmospheric aerosols at the High Resolution Fly's Eye experiment

We describe several techniques developed by the High Resolution Flys Eye experiment for measuring aerosol vertical optical depth, aerosol horizontal attenuation length, and aerosol phase function. The techniques are based on measurements of side-scattered light generated by a steerable ultraviolet laser and collected by an optical detector designed to measure fluorescence light from cosmic-ray air showers. We also present a technique to cross-check the aerosol optical depth measurement using air showers observed in stereo. These methods can be used by future air fluorescence experiments.

Geometry and optics calibration for air fluorescence detectors using star light

Abstract The high resolution Fly’s Eye (HiRes) detector in Dugway, Utah, is an air fluorescence detector designed for the measurement of the energy and arrival direction of cosmic ray particles with energy E >10 18 eV. HiRes monitors the night sky for fluorescence light from air shower cascades induced by cosmic ray primaries. The light is collected by mirrors and projected onto arrays of photomultiplier tubes that provide an image of the air shower. HiRes is an astronomical instrument, and the accuracy of the mirror pointing and understanding of the optical properties of the mirror–camera units is crucial. We present a method to cross-check and monitor the mirror pointing by using star light. A star crossing the field of view of a photomultiplier tube causes a temporary increase in the total light detected by the tube. Using UV bright stars, we analyze the pointing accuracy of the HiRes 2 detector, and evaluate the shape of a point-like object as a function of distance to the mirror axis.