Marcus Niechciol Universität Siegen, Department Physik

The search for UHE photons with the hybrid detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory (pdf)

The detection of ultra-high-energy photons is a key issue in cosmic ray physics with large impact not only on astrophysics and cosmology, but also on fundamental physics. The Pierre Auger Observatory in Malargüe, Argentina, has been specifically designed to study the origin and nature of the highest energy cosmic rays. It consists of an array of more than 1600 water Cherenkov detectors, covering an area of 3000 km2. This array is overlooked by 24 air fluorescence telescopes, grouped in units of six at the perimeter of the array. Combining information from both detector systems in hybrid events provides a powerful handle for the discrimination of primary particles and the identification of UHE photons. In the talk, a short overview on the status of the search for UHE photons with the hybrid detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory will be given. In addition, possible improvements of the current analysis will be discussed.