Search for the anomalous events detected by ANITA using the Pierre Auger Observatory
Abstract
A dedicated search for upward-going air showers at zenith angles exceeding 110° and energies E>0.1 EeV has been performed using the Fluorescence Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The search is motivated by two “anomalous” radio pulses observed by the ANITA flights I and III that appear inconsistent with the standard model of particle physics. Using simulations of both regular cosmic-ray showers and upward-going events, a selection procedure has been defined to separate potential upward-going candidate events and the corresponding exposure has been calculated in the energy range [0.1–33] EeV. One event has been found in the search period between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2018, consistent with an expected background of 0.27 ± 0.12 events from misreconstructed cosmic-ray showers. This translates to an upper bound on the integral flux of (7.2±0.2)×10[sup]−21 cm[sup]−2 sr[sup]−1 y[sup]−1 and (3.6±0.2)×10−20 cm[sup]−2 sr[sup]−1 y[sup]−1 for an E[sup]−1 and E[sup]−2 spectrum, respectively. An upward-going flux of showers normalized to the ANITA observations is shown to predict over 34 events for an E[sup]−3 spectrum and over 8.1 events for a conservative E[sup]−5 spectrum, in strong disagreement with the interpretation of the anomalous events as upward-going showers.
Keywords
ultra-high-energy cosmic rays;extensive air showers;upward-going air showers;Pierre Auger Observatory;Fluorescence Detector;anomalous ANITA events;
Data
| Language: | English |
|---|---|
| Year of publishing: | 2025 |
| Typology: | 1.01 - Original Scientific Article |
| Organization: | UNG - University of Nova Gorica |
| UDC: | 52 |
| COBISS: |
230663171
|
| ISSN: | 0031-9007 |
| Views: | 402 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
| Average score: | 0 (0 votes) |
| Metadata: |
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Other data
| Pages: | str. 121003-1-121003-10 |
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| Volume: | ǂVol. ǂ134 |
| Issue: | ǂissue ǂ12, [article no.] 121003 |
| Chronology: | Jan. 2025 |
| DOI: | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.121003 |
| ID: | 26125306 |
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