Advanced functionality for radio analysis in the Offline software framework of the Pierre Auger Observatory

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 2011-01, Vol.635 (1), p.92-102
• Main Authors: Albuquerque, I.F.M., Antičić, T., Assis, P., Barroso, S.L.C., Beatty, J.J., Becker, B.R., BenZvi, S., Bertou, X., Blanco, M., Bleve, C., Bonifazi, C., Borodai, N., Burton, R.E., Caruso, R., Cordier, A., Dasso, S., Daumiller, K., de Almeida, R.M., De Mitri, I., de Souza, V., Dembinski, H., Díaz Castro, M.L., Dobrigkeit, C., Dong, P.N., Dova, M.T., Dutan, I., Fauth, A.C., Fazzini, N., Ferguson, A.P., Fliescher, S., Fröhlich, U., Gamarra, R.F., Garcia-Pinto, D., Gascon, A., Gomez Albarracin, F., Gonçalves, P., Gonzalez, J.G., Gorgi, A., Grigat, M., Guedes, G.P., Hansen, P., Harari, D., Homola, P., Kampert, K.H., Kégl, B., Keilhauer, B., Kemp, E., Kleinfeller, J., Kruppke-Hansen, D., Lachaud, C., Lebrun, P., Leigui de Oliveira, M.A., Lozano Bahilo, J., Macolino, C., Martin, L., Mathes, H.J., Melissas, M., Monasor, M., Monnier Ragaigne, D., Morales, B., Mueller, S., Ortiz, M., Perrone, L., Petermann, E., Pierog, T., Privitera, P., Rautenberg, J., Ravignani, D., Rizi, V., Rodriguez, G., Rodriguez-Cabo, I., Rodríguez-Frías, M.D., Roth, M., Salazar, H., Schieler, H., Schovancova, J., Schulte, S., Settimo, M., Sommers, P., Sorokin, J., Squartini, R., Šuša, T., Tegolo, D., Thomas, D., Tiffenberg, J., Travnicek, P., Tridapalli, D.B., Tristram, G., van den Berg, A.M., Vázquez, J.R., Vázquez, R.A., Verzi, V., Videla, M., Warner, D., Wieczorek, G., Williams, C., Yamamoto, T., Younk, P., Zamorano, B., Zas, E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AIR; Air showers; ALGORITHMS; Analysis software; Astrophysics; Augers; CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; Computer programs; Computer simulation; Cosmic rays; DESIGN; Detector simulation; Detectors; ELECTRIC FIELDS; FLUORESCENCE; Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysic; Observatories; Physics; PROCESSING; Radio; Radio detection; Sciences of the Universe; SIMULATION; Software; TELESCOPES
• ISSN: 0168-9002; 1872-9576
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2011.01.049

The advent of the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) necessitates the development of a powerful framework for the analysis of radio measurements of cosmic ray air showers. As AERA performs “radio-hybrid” measurements of air shower radio emission in coincidence with the surface particle detectors and fluorescence telescopes of the Pierre Auger Observatory, the radio analysis functionality had to be incorporated in the existing hybrid analysis solutions for fluorescence and surface detector data. This goal has been achieved in a natural way by extending the existing Auger Offline software framework with radio functionality. In this article, we lay out the design, highlights and features of the radio extension implemented in the Auger Offline framework. Its functionality has achieved a high degree of sophistication and offers advanced features such as vectorial reconstruction of the electric field, advanced signal processing algorithms, a transparent and efficient handling of FFTs, a very detailed simulation of detector effects, and the read-in of multiple data formats including data from various radio simulation codes. The source code of this radio functionality can be made available to interested parties on request.