Interuniversity Institute for High Energies

While broadband short-duration radio pulses from airplanes are commonly detected and used for calibration or as background in astrophysical observations, the precise locations of the emission regions cannot be determined in these studies. We show that it is possible to locate the few places on the body of an airplane, while it is flying through high clouds, from which broad-band, pulsed, radiation is emitted at very high frequency radio frequencies. This serendipitous discovery was made whilst imaging a lightning flash using the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR). This observation provides insights into the way the airplane sheds the electrical charge it acquires when flying through clouds. Furthermore, this observation allowed us to test and improve the precision and accuracy for our lightning observation techniques. Our results indicate that with the improved procedure the location precision for strong pulses is better than 50 cm, with the orientation of linear polarization being accurate to within 25°. For the present case of a Boeing 777-300ER, very high frequency radio pulses were observed exclusively associated with the two engines, as well as a specific spot on the tail. Despite the aircraft flying through clouds at an altitude of 8 km, we did not detect any emissions from electrostatic wicks.

The ScIDEP Collaboration is constructing muon telescopes based on scintillator technology to investigate the internal structure of the Egyptian Pyramid of Khafre at Giza near Cairo using cosmic-ray muons. The collaboration aims to scan the pyramid from multiple viewpoints, both inside the king’s burial chamber that is located centrally at the base of the pyramid, and outside of the pyramid, to potentially identify any new internal structures. An overview of the project is presented, including the development of the data-acquisition system, the simulation framework, and very first detector studies.

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Abstract The LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) radio telescope possesses the unique capability to measure ultra‐high energy cosmic rays as well as image lightning discharges. This study presents a comparison between the inferred thunderstorm charge structures derived from cosmic‐ray measurements and from lightning flashes. Our results show a basic triple‐layered distribution: a positive upper layer, a main negative layer, and a positive lower layer. However, our cosmic‐ray measurement shows a bottom‐heavy structure, where the charge in the upper positively charged layer is smaller than that in the lower one. This is consistent with practically all lightning observations with LOFAR, showing well‐developed negative leader structures at altitudes below those where positive leaders are seen. This is very different from the vast majority of thundercloud charge structures seen around the world.

With the next upgrade of the ALICE inner tracking system (ITS3) as its primary focus, a set of small MAPS test structures have been developed in the 65 nm TPSCo CMOS process. The CE-65 focuses on the characterisation of the analogue charge collection properties of this technology. The latest iteration, the CE-65v2, was produced in different processes (Standard, with a low-dose n-type blanket, and blanket with gap between pixels), pixel pitches (15, 18, 22.5 µm) and pixel arrangements (square or staggered). The comparatively large pixel array size of 48×24 pixels in CE-65v2allows the uniformity of the pixel response to be studied, among other benefits.The CE-65v2 chip was characterised in a test beam at the CERN SPS. A first analysis showed that hit efficiencies of ≥ 99% and spatial resolution better than 5 µm can be achieved for all pitches and process variants. For the Standard process, thanks to larger charge sharing, even spatial resolutions below 3 µm are reached, in line with vertex detector requirements for the FCC-ee.This contribution further investigates the data collected at the SPS test beam. Thanks to the large sensor size and efficient data collection, a large amount of statistics was collected, which allows for detailed in-pixel studies to see the efficiency and spatial resolution as a function of the hit position within the pixels. Again, different pitches and process variants are compared.

The UNICOM Test Lab enhances patient safety and healthcare efficiency by implementing ISO's IDMP standards across the EU. Funded by the EU's HORIZON Programme, this initiative unites diverse stakeholders to enable the seamless exchange of medicinal product information. This paper details the interoperability challenges and methodologies employed, highlighting the UNICOM Test Lab's role in validating and testing tools for IDMP standards implementation, aiming for semantic interoperability and a safe pharmaceutical supply chain within the EU.

The Radar Echo Telescope for Cosmic Rays (RET-CR) was deployed in May 2023. RET-CR aims to show the in-nature viability of the radar echo method to probe in-ice particle cascades induced by ultra high energy cosmic rays and neutrinos. The RET-CR surface system detects ultra-high-energy cosmic ray air showers impinging on the ice using conventional methods. The surface detector then triggers the in-ice component of RET-CR, that is subsequently used to search for a radar echo off of the in-ice continuation of an ultra high energy cosmic ray air shower. The two systems independently reconstruct the energy, arrival direction, and impact point of the particle cascade. Here we present RET-CR, its installation in Greenland, and the first operations and results of RET-CR.

We explore the possibilities of measuring the longitudinal profile of individual air showers beyond X max when using very dense radio arrays such as SKA. The low-frequency part of the Square Kilometre Array, to be built in Australia, features an enormous antenna density of about 50,000 antennas in the inner core region of radius 500 m, with a frequency band from 50 to 350 MHz. From CoREAS simulations, a SKA-Low antenna model plus noise contributions, and adapted LOFAR analysis scripts, we obtain a resolution in the shower maximum X max and energy that is considerably better than at LOFAR. Already from this setup, we show that at least one additional parameter of the longitudinal profile can be measured. This would improve mass composition analysis by measuring an additional composition-dependent quantity. Moreover, it would offer an opportunity to discriminate between the different predictions of hadronic interaction models, hence contributing to hadronic physics at energy levels beyond man-made accelerators.

Removing ambiguities within a single stage becomes crucial when one can not use multiple detectors behind each other to resolve them which naturally is the case for neutral radiation. An example would be RICH detectors. Commonly, pixilated readout is choosen for this purpose. However, this causes a remarkable increase in quantity of channels. Thus, the overall costs of the detector would increase. Therefore, the XYU-GEM was proposed as a three coordinate strip-readout which is combined with a triple GEM detector. The readout complements a common XY readout with an additional projection which is tilted by 45°. The overdetermination due to three projections can be used to resovle ambiguities. Following the detector design will be explained, first measurements discussed to understand the response of the detector and a way to change the charge sharing without changing the manufacturing parameters of the readout.