![Undergraduate Research Award Proposal Summer 2015
Data Analysis for the Telescope Array Radar Experiment
Mario Balcázar March 26, 2015
1. Abstract –
Since the beginning of time, the Earth has been constantly barraged by cosmic rays
of often-unknown origin. They are mainly composed of high-energy particles such
as protons, gamma-rays and atomic nuclei. In addition to known sources such as
supernovae, astronomy, in conjunction with particle physics, aims to explain the
origin as well as the physics of all the cosmic rays striking Earth. Cosmic rays are
primarily produced from sources outside the Solar system over a wide energy
range, the highest energy cosmic rays being the least understood, as well as the
most interesting. In order to detect the rarest cosmic rays at the highest energies, a
massive detector is required. Our understanding of these high-energy particles
comes from different types of detectors all over the Earth’s surface. The Telescope
Array Radar (TARA) project aims to detect ultra-high energy cosmic rays by the use
of bi-static radar, employing radio-frequency antennas as detectors [1]. It is located
in Millard County, Utah at a remote site. Such detectors use a configuration of two
data-recording systems connected to a single receiver antenna: a cosmic ray
waveform detector, and a Transient Detector Apparatus (TDA) [2]. Since the
discovery of an ultra-high energy cosmic ray by the TARA experiment would be
spectacular, two redundant signal registration systems have been implemented. The
TDA monitors the noise environment and thereby establishes whether a possible
cosmic ray detected by the waveform detector is actually due to background. The
purpose of this project is to analyze the data collected in the TDA detector in order
to track the noise environment and ensure that our experimental conditions are
optimal for signal detection.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/f7b07f4b-eee7-4a88-ba2c-a82e9b9dc028-160807022949/85/UGRA-Application-1-320.jpg)
![2a. Background introduction –
The concept of radar detection of cosmic rays was introduced in the early 1940’s by
Blackett and Lovell and has been revisited over the years, with recent calculations
indicating experimental sensitivity overlapping with that of the large ground array
detection experiments [3]. Within the last decade, the MARIACHI experiment was
set up to test the concept of radar cosmic ray detection [4]. Although cosmic ray
candidate events were observed on Long Island, consistent with scattering from
high-powered transmitters in Pittsburgh, PA and Charlotte, NC, proximity to large-
amplitude man-made backgrounds and lack of control of the signal transmitter
prevented definitive conclusions being drawn from those data. The TARA project
wishes to advance those initial efforts and unambiguously establish the technique in
a low-background, high-sensitivity environment, with control of both radar
transmitter and receiver.
The technique used in the TARA project is innovative for the detection of cosmic
rays. The detection scheme is based on impacts of ultra-high energy cosmic rays
with atmospheric particles. Such impacts will produce a ‘plasma’ from ionized
atmospheric electrons. The TARA detection of cosmic rays, then, is based on the
response of such a plasma to specific radio frequency signals, using radar detection,
in which radio waves are reflected from the distant reflecting plasmas due to the
primary cosmic ray. [5]
The TDA allows us to determine possible causes, origins and tendencies of noise or
signal in the surroundings and their dependence on such things as daytime,
atmospheric conditions, etc. The data collected in the transient detector apparatus
is yet to be analyzed. Most importantly, the data obtained in the waveform cosmic
ray detector and that obtained in the TDA should show a correlation if the source is
actually cosmic rays. This is precisely the purpose of this research project.
2b. Methods/Approach and Timeline –
The analysis of the TDA data is mainly achieved by the use of programming
languages such as python in order to create plots and graphs of the obtained data
from the TARA antennas. The data collected in the detectors, specifically, in the TDA
needs to be processed and plotted in order to attempt to find a possible explanation
of the observed tendencies. Once the data is obtained, a code needs to be written in
order to convert the raw data into a useful format. Then, another code needs to be
written in order to parse it in such a way that the different times at which the data
were obtained are assigned to an array, and the rf Count values obtained by the TDA
detector assigned to a second array. The time needs to be converted to unified units
such as seconds, since it is originally in the unix timestamp format. At that point, the
data can be analyzed for both near- and short-term trends, as well as any possible
indications of true cosmic rays.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/f7b07f4b-eee7-4a88-ba2c-a82e9b9dc028-160807022949/85/UGRA-Application-3-320.jpg)
![In order to analyze more deeply the information in this project, a better
programming code needs to be written. It needs to support bigger amounts of data
in such a way that it uses other plotting software to create the visual images of the
information. Once that is done, the analysis can take place in conjunction with an
insight to the physics explanation behind it.
3. Significance to the applicant –
An unabatable thirst for answers is ingrained in mankind’s DNA. Probably the most
basic way our curiosity manifests itself is the attempt to make sense of our universe.
The TARA project is an attempt at cosmic ray detection through radar technology.
As a source of radio waves, modified television transmitters are used. Then, radio
receivers collect such waves, previously produced by a cosmic ray and the scattering
due to the atmospheric ionization. [2] It is an innovative technique with possible
future applications to detection of cosmic rays. This technique is significantly less
costly than current cosmic rays observatories but, most importantly, it is a
groundbreaking attempt to improve our understanding of the universe.
The investigation being proposed in this research project contributes to TARA’s
attempt in the detection of cosmic rays. By analyzing the TDA data collected in the
detectors. During the project I will not only improve my technical skills in
programming and physics but I will also gain a better understanding of the research
atmosphere and its implications. By conducting this research I will learn material
that is not taught in the classroom, and expand my programming skills by the
writing of codes necessary for actual investigation. I will also explore possible
explanations and conclusions, study and analyze correlation with data from other
sources and, above all, I will use critical thinking in order to formulate conclusions
and increase my knowledge in science. This award will help me to better prepare for
my future academic and professional goals. I will be studying an area I find highly
interesting and thereby laying the groundwork for not only future research
investigations but also my academic future in graduate school. The Undergraduate
Research Award will help me push myself once again to obtain new knowledge and
improve my science and academic skills, while at the same time pursue my own
passion for physics and the discovery of the unknown.
The beauty of the universe has always intrigued me. I love its infinite magnitude,
spellbinding mystery, and mathematical poetry. Neither I nor anyone else will likely
ever understand the universe fully, but doing research, even if the ultimate goal is
unreachable, satisfies our deepest, most human intellectual necessities. Doing
research can be so engrossing, nerve-wrecking, frustrating and even tedious, so
much that one can loose touch with the world around him and forget the real
importance of the problem he is trying to solve, and yet the inextricable need to
satisfy one’s curiosity keeps him going.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/f7b07f4b-eee7-4a88-ba2c-a82e9b9dc028-160807022949/85/UGRA-Application-5-320.jpg)
![4. Applicant’s qualifications –
Last semester I became involved in undergraduate research helping Professor
Besson in his investigation of Particle and Astroparticle Physics. Unlike most
undergraduate students, I took four years of advanced physics in high school, which
gave me the necessary knowledge to start working on research in the Department of
Physics so early. Last semester I worked along with the Particle and Astroparticle
Physics research team. I helped with the Antarctic Impulse Transient Array (ANITA)
project under the guidance of more experienced physics students. This gave me an
introductory knowledge in the procedure of how research in physics is conducted,
including recording and cataloging of measurements and data analysis [6].
I am currently taking a programming class in which I constantly learn new
programming skills applicable to the area. I also spent this semester teaching myself
new programming languages in order to apply them to research purposes.
As a member of the University of Kansas Honors Program, I am enrolled in the
honors section of Physics I and I will be enrolling in the honors section of Physics II
next semester. This gave me the opportunity to interact with faculty of the physics
department in a more individualized atmosphere in which I am constantly learning
important concepts of physics and their applications inside and outside the
classroom. This interaction with fellow physics students and faculty will provide me
with possible feedback in the research project as well as a group in which significant
discussions about the topic can be conducted in the future.
I knew I wanted to participate in research since the moment I stepped in The
University of Kansas, but I had no idea how exciting an experience it could be. Being
in an atmosphere of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in the
Particle and Astroparticle Physics research lab made me eager to understand more
about the subject. It encourages me to keep satisfying my innate human heritage as
a being that is constantly looking for answers.
5. References –
[1]" KU Tara." KU Physics. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
<http://heplx3.phsx.ku.edu/~riceuser/ku-tara/>.
[2] "TARA." Telescope Array Radar. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.telescopearray.org/tara/>.
[3] P. M. S. Blackett and A. C. B. Lovell, Proc. Royal. Soc. A177, 183 (1940)
[4]Windham, Carie. "MARIACHI." Educause. 2 July 2007. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
<http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli3014.pdf>.
[5] Kunwar, Samridha. "Telescope Array Radar (TARA) Remote Station Design and
Development." The American Physical Society (2014). Aps.org. Web.
<http://absimage.aps.org/image/APR14/MWS_APR14-2014-000318.pdf>.
[6] "ANITA." Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.phys.hawaii.edu/~anita/about>.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/f7b07f4b-eee7-4a88-ba2c-a82e9b9dc028-160807022949/85/UGRA-Application-6-320.jpg)
UGRA Application
- 1. Undergraduate Research Award Proposal Summer 2015 Data Analysis for the Telescope Array Radar Experiment Mario Balcázar March 26, 2015 1. Abstract – Since the beginning of time, the Earth has been constantly barraged by cosmic rays of often-unknown origin. They are mainly composed of high-energy particles such as protons, gamma-rays and atomic nuclei. In addition to known sources such as supernovae, astronomy, in conjunction with particle physics, aims to explain the origin as well as the physics of all the cosmic rays striking Earth. Cosmic rays are primarily produced from sources outside the Solar system over a wide energy range, the highest energy cosmic rays being the least understood, as well as the most interesting. In order to detect the rarest cosmic rays at the highest energies, a massive detector is required. Our understanding of these high-energy particles comes from different types of detectors all over the Earth’s surface. The Telescope Array Radar (TARA) project aims to detect ultra-high energy cosmic rays by the use of bi-static radar, employing radio-frequency antennas as detectors [1]. It is located in Millard County, Utah at a remote site. Such detectors use a configuration of two data-recording systems connected to a single receiver antenna: a cosmic ray waveform detector, and a Transient Detector Apparatus (TDA) [2]. Since the discovery of an ultra-high energy cosmic ray by the TARA experiment would be spectacular, two redundant signal registration systems have been implemented. The TDA monitors the noise environment and thereby establishes whether a possible cosmic ray detected by the waveform detector is actually due to background. The purpose of this project is to analyze the data collected in the TDA detector in order to track the noise environment and ensure that our experimental conditions are optimal for signal detection.
- 2. 2. Project Description – The TDA system uses a “trigger” to collect data from the surroundings, including noise and possible cosmic ray signals. The objective of this research project is to analyze the data collected by the transient detector apparatus and discriminate possible waveform signals from background. The analysis of the data plays a significant role in the cosmic rays' detection of the TARA project. Since the TDA works as a separate system from the waveform cosmic ray detector, the analysis of such data works as a confirmation of the detection of possible cosmic rays. In this project several programming codes, using C++, MATLAB, and python, will be written in order to plot the data obtained and perform analysis of the data, which has so far not been analyzed.
- 3. 2a. Background introduction – The concept of radar detection of cosmic rays was introduced in the early 1940’s by Blackett and Lovell and has been revisited over the years, with recent calculations indicating experimental sensitivity overlapping with that of the large ground array detection experiments [3]. Within the last decade, the MARIACHI experiment was set up to test the concept of radar cosmic ray detection [4]. Although cosmic ray candidate events were observed on Long Island, consistent with scattering from high-powered transmitters in Pittsburgh, PA and Charlotte, NC, proximity to large- amplitude man-made backgrounds and lack of control of the signal transmitter prevented definitive conclusions being drawn from those data. The TARA project wishes to advance those initial efforts and unambiguously establish the technique in a low-background, high-sensitivity environment, with control of both radar transmitter and receiver. The technique used in the TARA project is innovative for the detection of cosmic rays. The detection scheme is based on impacts of ultra-high energy cosmic rays with atmospheric particles. Such impacts will produce a ‘plasma’ from ionized atmospheric electrons. The TARA detection of cosmic rays, then, is based on the response of such a plasma to specific radio frequency signals, using radar detection, in which radio waves are reflected from the distant reflecting plasmas due to the primary cosmic ray. [5] The TDA allows us to determine possible causes, origins and tendencies of noise or signal in the surroundings and their dependence on such things as daytime, atmospheric conditions, etc. The data collected in the transient detector apparatus is yet to be analyzed. Most importantly, the data obtained in the waveform cosmic ray detector and that obtained in the TDA should show a correlation if the source is actually cosmic rays. This is precisely the purpose of this research project. 2b. Methods/Approach and Timeline – The analysis of the TDA data is mainly achieved by the use of programming languages such as python in order to create plots and graphs of the obtained data from the TARA antennas. The data collected in the detectors, specifically, in the TDA needs to be processed and plotted in order to attempt to find a possible explanation of the observed tendencies. Once the data is obtained, a code needs to be written in order to convert the raw data into a useful format. Then, another code needs to be written in order to parse it in such a way that the different times at which the data were obtained are assigned to an array, and the rf Count values obtained by the TDA detector assigned to a second array. The time needs to be converted to unified units such as seconds, since it is originally in the unix timestamp format. At that point, the data can be analyzed for both near- and short-term trends, as well as any possible indications of true cosmic rays.
- 4. The analysis is an important part of this project. Once the programming codes are written and plots are created, a viable explanation of any possible phenomena observed in the data may be realized. Such conclusions remain unknown since, of course, the TDA data are yet to be analyzed. Based on the possible results, different approaches could be formulated in order to optimize the performance of the hardware. Even though no analysis has been performed yet, I have already made some progress in this project. A preliminary first code was written with the main intention of constructing a first plot of the data. Then, using a .csv format of data along with the help of other computer software, a preliminary graph was created.
- 5. In order to analyze more deeply the information in this project, a better programming code needs to be written. It needs to support bigger amounts of data in such a way that it uses other plotting software to create the visual images of the information. Once that is done, the analysis can take place in conjunction with an insight to the physics explanation behind it. 3. Significance to the applicant – An unabatable thirst for answers is ingrained in mankind’s DNA. Probably the most basic way our curiosity manifests itself is the attempt to make sense of our universe. The TARA project is an attempt at cosmic ray detection through radar technology. As a source of radio waves, modified television transmitters are used. Then, radio receivers collect such waves, previously produced by a cosmic ray and the scattering due to the atmospheric ionization. [2] It is an innovative technique with possible future applications to detection of cosmic rays. This technique is significantly less costly than current cosmic rays observatories but, most importantly, it is a groundbreaking attempt to improve our understanding of the universe. The investigation being proposed in this research project contributes to TARA’s attempt in the detection of cosmic rays. By analyzing the TDA data collected in the detectors. During the project I will not only improve my technical skills in programming and physics but I will also gain a better understanding of the research atmosphere and its implications. By conducting this research I will learn material that is not taught in the classroom, and expand my programming skills by the writing of codes necessary for actual investigation. I will also explore possible explanations and conclusions, study and analyze correlation with data from other sources and, above all, I will use critical thinking in order to formulate conclusions and increase my knowledge in science. This award will help me to better prepare for my future academic and professional goals. I will be studying an area I find highly interesting and thereby laying the groundwork for not only future research investigations but also my academic future in graduate school. The Undergraduate Research Award will help me push myself once again to obtain new knowledge and improve my science and academic skills, while at the same time pursue my own passion for physics and the discovery of the unknown. The beauty of the universe has always intrigued me. I love its infinite magnitude, spellbinding mystery, and mathematical poetry. Neither I nor anyone else will likely ever understand the universe fully, but doing research, even if the ultimate goal is unreachable, satisfies our deepest, most human intellectual necessities. Doing research can be so engrossing, nerve-wrecking, frustrating and even tedious, so much that one can loose touch with the world around him and forget the real importance of the problem he is trying to solve, and yet the inextricable need to satisfy one’s curiosity keeps him going.
- 6. 4. Applicant’s qualifications – Last semester I became involved in undergraduate research helping Professor Besson in his investigation of Particle and Astroparticle Physics. Unlike most undergraduate students, I took four years of advanced physics in high school, which gave me the necessary knowledge to start working on research in the Department of Physics so early. Last semester I worked along with the Particle and Astroparticle Physics research team. I helped with the Antarctic Impulse Transient Array (ANITA) project under the guidance of more experienced physics students. This gave me an introductory knowledge in the procedure of how research in physics is conducted, including recording and cataloging of measurements and data analysis [6]. I am currently taking a programming class in which I constantly learn new programming skills applicable to the area. I also spent this semester teaching myself new programming languages in order to apply them to research purposes. As a member of the University of Kansas Honors Program, I am enrolled in the honors section of Physics I and I will be enrolling in the honors section of Physics II next semester. This gave me the opportunity to interact with faculty of the physics department in a more individualized atmosphere in which I am constantly learning important concepts of physics and their applications inside and outside the classroom. This interaction with fellow physics students and faculty will provide me with possible feedback in the research project as well as a group in which significant discussions about the topic can be conducted in the future. I knew I wanted to participate in research since the moment I stepped in The University of Kansas, but I had no idea how exciting an experience it could be. Being in an atmosphere of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in the Particle and Astroparticle Physics research lab made me eager to understand more about the subject. It encourages me to keep satisfying my innate human heritage as a being that is constantly looking for answers. 5. References – [1]" KU Tara." KU Physics. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <http://heplx3.phsx.ku.edu/~riceuser/ku-tara/>. [2] "TARA." Telescope Array Radar. Web. 26 Mar. 2015. <http://www.telescopearray.org/tara/>. [3] P. M. S. Blackett and A. C. B. Lovell, Proc. Royal. Soc. A177, 183 (1940) [4]Windham, Carie. "MARIACHI." Educause. 2 July 2007. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli3014.pdf>. [5] Kunwar, Samridha. "Telescope Array Radar (TARA) Remote Station Design and Development." The American Physical Society (2014). Aps.org. Web. <http://absimage.aps.org/image/APR14/MWS_APR14-2014-000318.pdf>. [6] "ANITA." Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.phys.hawaii.edu/~anita/about>.