Seminar

Povzetek

Ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are the most energetic particles in nature,
reaching energies far beyond those achievable by terrestrial accelerators. Their origin,
acceleration mechanisms, and composition remain among the central open questions of
astroparticle physics. When these particles interact with the atmosphere, they produce
extensive air showers (EAS) with hadronic, muonic and electromagnetic components.
Studying the longitudinal and lateral development of EAS provides information on the
energy and the arrival direction of the primary cosmic ray, and the constraints on its
mass.
The Pierre Auger Observatory, the world’s largest facility for UHECR detection, combines
surface and fluorescence detectors to study cosmic rays. Its recent upgrade, AugerPrime,
aims to improve the understanding of UHECR mass composition, primarily
through enhanced muon measurements. In parallel, multi-messenger strategies that
correlate UHECRs with neutrino and photon observations promise new insights into their
sources.
In this seminar I will provide an overview of cosmic rays and their detection, present
Pierre Auger Observatory detection techniques, and outline my PhD research directions
including multi-messenger studies using AugerPrime upgrade.