A cooperation agreement with the Pierre Auger observatory
Rector of the University of Nova Gorica, Prof. Dr. Boštjan Golob, honorary rector of the University of Nova Gorica, Prof. Dr. Danilo Zavrtanik, and head of the Centre for Astrophysics and Cosmology of the University of Nova Gorica, Prof. Dr. Samo Stanič, visited the Pierre Auger observatory in Argentina last week.
The Pierre Auger Observatory is the largest detector of cosmic particles of extreme energies in the world. When they enter the Earth's atmosphere, after collisions with the atomic nuclei of atmospheric gases, they cause extensive avalanches of charged particles that also reach the Earth's surface. Cosmic particles of extreme energies are very rare, at the highest energies only one such particle hits the Earth per square kilometer of surface per century. For their detection, we therefore need a detector as large as possible, such as the Pierre Auger observatory. Extending over 3000 km2 of the Argentine pampa at an altitude of about 1500 m above sea level near Malargue in the Mendoza province, it consists of an array of 1660 Cherenkov surface water detectors and 27 fluorescence telescopes that measure avalanche development in the atmosphere.
The main purpose of the visit was to sign an agreement on cooperation in the continued operation of the upgraded observatory (Auger Prime) for a period of ten years, in which researchers from the University of Nova Gorica and the Jožef Stefan Institute will continue to participate. The agreement was signed by the rector of the University of Nova Gorica, prof. dr. Boštjan Golob, and the ceremony was also attended by Igor Šef, chargé d'affaires at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Buenos Aires. Research at the observatory is carried out as part of an international scientific collaboration that brings together around 500 scientists from seventeen countries. The University of Nova Gorica has been a member of the Pierre Auger collaboration since 2004.
In year 2024, the following researchers from Slovenia have taken part in the Pierre Auger collaboration: Prof. Dr. Danilo Zavrtanik, Prof. Dr. Samo Stanič, Prof. Dr. Andrej Filipčič, Prof. Dr. Marko Zavrtanik, Prof. Dr. Sergey Vorobyev, Doc. Dr. Jon Paul Lundquist and doctoral student Shima Ujjani Shivashankara.
More information about the Pierre Auger Observatory:
- The Center for Astrophysics and Cosmology
- The observatory's official web pages
