Accelerator Measurements of Magnetically Induced Radio Emission from Particle Cascades with Applications to Cosmic-Ray Air Showers.
For 50 years, cosmic-ray air showers have been detected by their radio emission. We present the first laboratory measurements that validate electrodynamics simulations used in air shower modeling. An experiment at SLAC provides a beam test of radio-frequency (rf) radiation from charged particle cascades in the presence of a magnetic field, a model system of a cosmic-ray air shower. This experiment provides a suite of controlled laboratory measurements to compare to particle-level simulations of rf emission, which are relied upon in ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray air shower detection. We compare simulations to data for intensity, linearity with magnetic field, angular distribution, polarization, and spectral content. In particular, we confirm modern predictions that the magnetically induced emission in a dielectric forms a cone that peaks at the Cherenkov angle and show that the simulations reproduce the data within systematic uncertainties.
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.|Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California 91109, USA.
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K
Belov
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA.
K
K
Mulrey
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California 91109, USA.
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A
Romero-Wolf
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.|Physics Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California 93407, USA.
S A
SA
Wissel
Institut für Experimentelle Kernphysik, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, 76128 Karlsruhe, Germany.
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A
Zilles
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
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K
Bechtol
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
K
K
Borch
Department of Physics, Graduate Institute of Astrophysics, Leung Center for Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
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P
Chen
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA.
J
J
Clem
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Hawaii 96822, USA.
P W
PW
Gorham
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
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C
Hast
Institut für Kernphysik, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany.
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T
Huege
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.|Physics Department, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23187, USA.
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R
Hyneman
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
K
K
Jobe
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
K
K
Kuwatani
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
J
J
Lam
Department of Physics, Graduate Institute of Astrophysics, Leung Center for Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
T C
TC
Liu
Department of Physics, Graduate Institute of Astrophysics, Leung Center for Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
J
J
Nam
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California 91109, USA.
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C
Naudet
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
R J
RJ
Nichol
Department of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA.
B F
BF
Rauch
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Hawaii 96822, USA.
B
B
Rotter
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
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D
Saltzberg
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Hawaii 96822, USA.
H
H
Schoorlemmer
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA.
D
D
Seckel
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
B
B
Strutt
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.|Department of Physics, Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
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Vieregg
Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
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C
Williams