Speaker
Description
Have you ever been to the LOFAR superterp and noticed the black boxes spread across the grass there? In this contribution, I will give an overview of the particle detectors these boxes house, and the fundamental role they play in cosmic-ray detection at LOFAR.
When a cosmic ray enters the atmosphere it initiates a cascade of particles called an air shower. This cascade generates a sharp pulse of radio emission that can be observed with the LOFAR antennas. We have demonstrated that this radio signal can be used to reconstruct critical information about the cosmic rays that gives us clues about their origin. The particle detectors installed at the superterp are what makes this observation mode possible.
Firstly, by detecting the air shower particles that reach ground level, the particle detectors provide a means with which to trigger antenna data readout that is necessary for cosmic-ray observation. Secondly, the data collected by the particle detectors provide an independent means of reconstructing air showers, offering a complementary view of air shower development. I will discuss the operation of the LOFAR particle detectors over the last decade, the recent expansion of the array, and prospects for extracting new science from the detectors going forward in the LOFAR 2.0 era.
