Atmospheric Electricity Studies at the Pierre Auger Observatory: Signal Comparisons between Lightning and Cosmic Ray Events

¹ Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA
² Av. San Martín Norte 304, 5613, Malargüe, Argentina

^* e-mail: kmerenda@mines.edu
^** e-mail: auger_spokespersons@fnal.gov
^*** Authors list: http://www.auger.org/archive/authors_2018_10.html

Published online: 17 May 2019

Abstract

The research horizons of the Pierre Auger Cosmic-Ray Observatory widened when the collaboration found exotic (atmospheric) phenomena in both its Fluorescence Detector (FD) and Surface Detector (SD). The Cosmology and Geophysics task force of the Auger Collaboration focused some of its attention on these highly energetic events, which are correlated to some of the most intense convective thunderstorm systems in the world. In this proceeding, we compare the signal of these exotic events and the signal of cosmic rays, as seen in the FD and the SD. The FD has triggered on numerous transient luminous events, dubbed “elves" since their first observation in 2005. The SD observed peculiar events with radially expanding footprints, which are correlated with lightning strikes reconstructed by the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). The traced signals of both of these atmospheric events last longer in time than cosmic ray signals. The footprints are much larger; typically more SD stations (or more FD pixels) contribute to the observations.