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Show posters on the hill High Resolution Fly's Eye Experiment: Cosmic Ray Research in Utah Melissa Maestas, John N. Matthews Department of Physics 1 he High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) Collaboration operates a cosmic ray observatory in Utah's West Desert. We are looking for ultra high-energy particles from outside the galaxy to learn where they are coming from (what kinds of objects generate them) and how they are produced. When one of these particles (cosmic rays) hits the atmosphere, it collides with oxygen or nitrogen and generates a shower of billions of secondary particles. These produce UV light as they pass through the atmosphere. High Resolution Fly's Eye Experiment: Cosmic Ray Research in Utah Melissa Maestas, John N. Matthews Department of Physics Tun We use large mirrors to gather the light and focus it onto a fast camera. I coordinate and run the calibration of the cameras. We take a standard light around to each of the mirrors to monitor camera stability. We also run a sub-experiment called FLASH to calibrate our technique of measuring cosmic ray energies. I went to Stanford to help make measurements at their particle accelerator that can simulate a cosmic ray shower. The HiRes project will conclude within the next few years. However, we are already starting to build the next generation of cosmic ray detectors in Millard County. With this new observatory, called the Telescope Array (TA), we will continue our quest for knowledge. |