Enhancement of the Yakutsk array by atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes to study cosmic rays above 10<sup>15</sup> eV

Ivanov, A. A.; Knurenko, S. P.; Petrov, Z. E.; Pravdin, M. I.; Sleptsov, I. Ye.

doi:doi:10.5194/astra-6-53-2010

Astrophys. Space Sci. Trans., 6, 53-57, 2010
www.astrophys-space-sci-trans.net/6/53/2010/
doi:10.5194/astra-6-53-2010
© Author(s) 2010. This work is distributed
under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Volume 6, issue 1

20 Dec 2010

Enhancement of the Yakutsk array by atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes to study cosmic rays above 10¹⁵ eV
A. A. Ivanov, S. P. Knurenko, Z. E. Petrov, M. I. Pravdin, and I. Ye. Sleptsov
Shafer Institute for Cosmophysical Research and Aeronomy, Yakutsk 677980, Russia

Received: 25 Aug 2010 – Revised: 17 Nov 2010 – Accepted: 17 Nov 2010 – Published: 20 Dec 2010

Abstract. The aim of the Yakutsk array enhancement project is to create an instrument to study the highest-energy galactic cosmic rays (CRs) – their sources, energy spectrum, and mass composition. Additionally, there will be unique capabilities for investigations in the transition region between galactic and extragalactic components of CRs.

Using the well-developed imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope technique adapted to the energy region E>10¹⁵ eV, we plan to measure the longitudinal structure parameters of the shower, e.g. angular and temporal distributions of the Cherenkov signal related to X_max and the mass composition of CRs.

The main advantages of the Yakutsk array, such as its multi-component measurements of extensive air showers, and model-independent CR energy estimation based on Cherenkov light measurements, will be inherited by the instrument to be created.

Citation: Ivanov, A. A., Knurenko, S. P., Petrov, Z. E., Pravdin, M. I., and Sleptsov, I. Ye.: Enhancement of the Yakutsk array by atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes to study cosmic rays above 10¹⁵ eV, Astrophys. Space Sci. Trans., 6, 53-57, doi:10.5194/astra-6-53-2010, 2010.

Astrophysics and Space Sciences Transactions

An Open Access Journal of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Extraterrestrische Forschung e.V.