A 3‐Year Sample of Almost 1,600 Elves Recorded Above South America by the Pierre Auger Cosmic‐Ray Observatory
A. AabIMAPP Radboud University Nijmegen Nijmegen The NetherlandsP. AbreuLaboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas – LIP and Instituto Superior Técnico – IST Universidade de Lisboa – UL Lisboa PortugalM. AgliettaINFN Sezione di Torino Torino ItalyI. F. M. AlbuquerqueInstituto de Física Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo SP BrazilJustin M. AlburyUniversity of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia AustraliaI. AllekotteCentro Atómico Bariloche and Instituto Balseiro (CNEA‐UNCuyo‐CONICET) San Carlos de Bariloche ArgentinaA. AlmelaInstituto de Tecnologías en Detección y Astropartículas (CNEA, CONICET, UNSAM) Buenos Aires ArgentinaM. CastilloUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México México D.F. MéxicoJ. Alvarez‐MuñizInstituto Galego de Física de Altas Enerxías (I.G.F.A.E.) Universidad de Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela SpainGioacchino Alex AnastasiGran Sasso Science Institute L'Aquila ItalyLuis A. AnchordoquiDepartment of Physics and Astronomy Lehman College, City University of New York Bronx NY USABelén AndradaInstituto de Tecnologías en Detección y Astropartículas (CNEA, CONICET, UNSAM) Buenos Aires ArgentinaS. AndringaLaboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas – LIP and Instituto Superior Técnico – IST Universidade de Lisboa – UL Lisboa PortugalC. AramoINFN Sezione di Napoli Napoli ItalyH. AsoreyCentro Atómico Bariloche and Instituto Balseiro (CNEA‐UNCuyo‐CONICET) San Carlos de Bariloche ArgentinaP. AssisLaboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas – LIP and Instituto Superior Técnico – IST Universidade de Lisboa – UL Lisboa PortugalG. ÁvilaObservatorio Pierre Auger Malargüe ArgentinaAlina Mihaela BadescuUniversity Politehnica of Bucharest Bucharest RomaniaAlena BakalováInstitute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech RepublicA. Balaceanu“Horia Hulubei” National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering Bucharest‐Magurele RomaniaFelicia BarbatoDipartimento di Fisica “Ettore Pancini” Università di Napoli “Federico II” Napoli ItalyRicardo Jorge Barreira LuzLaboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas – LIP and Instituto Superior Técnico – IST Universidade de Lisboa – UL Lisboa PortugalS. BaurInstitut für Kernphysik Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Karlsruhe GermanyK.-H. BeckerDepartment of Physics Bergische Universität Wuppertal Wuppertal GermanyJose A. BellidoUniversity of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia AustraliaCorinne BératUniversité Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble Institute of Engineering Université Grenoble Alpes, LPSC‐IN2P3 Grenoble FranceM. E. BertainaDipartimento di Fisica Università Torino Torino ItalyX. BertouCentro Atómico Bariloche and Instituto Balseiro (CNEA‐UNCuyo‐CONICET) San Carlos de Bariloche ArgentinaPeter L. BiermannMax‐Planck‐Institut für Radioastronomie Bonn GermanyJonathan BiteauInstitut de Physique Nucléaire d'Orsay (IPNO) Université Paris‐Sud, Université Paris/Saclay, CNRS‐IN2P3 Orsay FranceS. G. BlaessUniversity of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia AustraliaA. BlancoLaboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas – LIP and Instituto Superior Técnico – IST Universidade de Lisboa – UL Lisboa PortugalJiří BlažekInstitute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech RepublicC. BleveDipartimento di Matematica e Fisica “E. De Giorgi” Università del Salento Lecce ItalyM. BoháčováInstitute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech RepublicDenise BoncioliGran Sasso Science Institute L'Aquila ItalyC. BonifaziInstituto de Física Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro RJ BrazilNataliia BorodaiInstitute of Nuclear Physics PAN Krakow PolandAna Martina BottiInstituto de Tecnologías en Detección y Astropartículas (CNEA, CONICET, UNSAM) Buenos Aires ArgentinaJ. BrackColorado State University Fort Collins CO USAT. BretzIII. Physikalisches Institut A RWTH Aachen University Aachen GermanyA. BridgemanInstitute for Experimental Particle Physics (ETP) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Karlsruhe GermanyF. L. BriechleIII. Physikalisches Institut A RWTH Aachen University Aachen GermanyP. BuchholzUniversität Siegen, Fachbereich 7 Physik – Experimentelle Teilchenphysik Siegen GermanyA. BuenoUniversidad de Granada and C.A.F.P.E. Granada SpainS. BuitinkVrije Universiteit Brussels Brussels BelgiumMario BuscemiDipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia Università di Catania Catania ItalyK. S. Caballero‐MoraUniversidad Autónoma de Chiapas Tuxtla Gutiérrez Chiapas MéxicoLorenzo CaccianigaDipartimento di Fisica Università di Milano Milano ItalyL. CalcagniIFLP Universidad Nacional de La Plata and CONICET La Plata ArgentinaA. CancioInstituto de Tecnologías en Detección y Astropartículas (CNEA, CONICET, UNSAM) Buenos Aires ArgentinaF. CanforaIMAPP Radboud University Nijmegen Nijmegen The NetherlandsJ. M. CarcellerUniversidad de Granada and C.A.F.P.E. Granada SpainR. CarusoDipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia Università di Catania Catania ItalyA. CastellinaINFN Sezione di Torino Torino ItalyF. CatalaniEscola de Engenharia de Lorena Universidade de São Paulo Lorena SP BrazilG. CataldiINFN Sezione di Lecce Lecce ItalyLorenzo CazonLaboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas – LIP and Instituto Superior Técnico – IST Universidade de Lisboa – UL Lisboa PortugalM. CerdaObservatorio Pierre Auger Malargüe ArgentinaJ. ChudobaInstitute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech RepublicL. ChytkaRCPTM Palacky University Olomouc Czech RepublicR. W. ClayUniversity of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia AustraliaAgustín Cobos CeruttiInstituto de Tecnologías en Detección y Astropartículas (CNEA, CONICET, UNSAM)and Universidad Tecnológica Nacional – Facultad Regional Mendoza (CONICET/CNEA) Mendoza ArgentinaRoberta ColalilloDipartimento di Fisica “Ettore Pancini” Università di Napoli “Federico II” Napoli ItalyAlan ColemanPennsylvania State University University Park PA USAM. R. ColucciaDipartimento di Matematica e Fisica “E. De Giorgi” Università del Salento Lecce ItalyR. ConceiçãoLaboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas – LIP and Instituto Superior Técnico – IST Universidade de Lisboa – UL Lisboa PortugalAntonio CondorelliGran Sasso Science Institute L'Aquila ItalyGiovanni ConsolatiDipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Aerospaziali Politecnico di Milano Milano ItalyF. ContrerasObservatorio Pierre Auger Malargüe ArgentinaM. J. CooperUniversity of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia AustraliaS. CoutuPennsylvania State University University Park PA USAC. E. CovaultCase Western Reserve University Cleveland OH USAB. DanielIFGW Universidade Estadual de Campinas Campinas SP BrazilS. DassoDepartamento de Física and Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos, FCEyN Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET Buenos Aires ArgentinaK. DaumillerInstitut für Kernphysik Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Karlsruhe GermanyB. R. DawsonUniversity of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia AustraliaJ.A. DayUniversity of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia AustraliaR. M. de AlmeidaEEIMVR Universidade Federal Fluminense Volta Redonda RJ BrazilS. J. de JongIMAPP Radboud University Nijmegen Nijmegen The NetherlandsG. De MauroIMAPP Radboud University Nijmegen Nijmegen The NetherlandsJ. R. T. de Mello NetoInstituto de Física Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro RJ BrazilI. De MitriGran Sasso Science Institute L'Aquila ItalyJaime de OliveiraEEIMVR Universidade Federal Fluminense Volta Redonda RJ BrazilF. O. de Oliveira SallesCentro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas Rio de Janeiro RJ BrazilV. de SouzaInstituto de Física de São Carlos Universidade de São Paulo São Carlos SP BrazilJ. DebatinInstitute for Experimental Particle Physics (ETP) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Karlsruhe GermanyM. del RíoObservatorio Pierre Auger and Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica Malargüe ArgentinaO. DelignyInstitut de Physique Nucléaire d'Orsay (IPNO) Université Paris‐Sud, Université Paris/Saclay, CNRS‐IN2P3 Orsay FranceN. DhitalInstitute of Nuclear Physics PAN Krakow PolandM. L. Díaz CastroIFGW Universidade Estadual de Campinas Campinas SP BrazilF. DiogoLaboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas – LIP and Instituto Superior Técnico – IST Universidade de Lisboa – UL Lisboa PortugalC. DobrigkeitIFGW Universidade Estadual de Campinas Campinas SP BrazilJ. C. D’OlivoUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México México D.F. MéxicoQ. DorostiUniversität Siegen, Fachbereich 7 Physik – Experimentelle Teilchenphysik Siegen GermanyR. C. dos AnjosUniversidade Federal do Paraná, Setor Palotina Palotina BrazilM. T. DovaIFLP Universidad Nacional de La Plata and CONICET La Plata ArgentinaA. DundovicII. Institut für Theoretische Physik Universität Hamburg Hamburg GermanyJan EbrInstitute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech Republic
ABI
Abstract
Abstract Elves are a class of transient luminous events, with a radial extent typically greater than 250 km, that occur in the lower ionosphere above strong electrical storms. We report the observation of 1,598 elves, from 2014 to 2016, recorded with unprecedented time resolution (100 ns) using the fluorescence detector (FD) of the Pierre Auger Cosmic‐Ray Observatory. The Auger Observatory is located in the Mendoza province of Argentina with a viewing footprint for elve observations of km , reaching areas above the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as well as the Córdoba region, which is known for severe convective thunderstorms. Primarily designed for ultrahigh energy cosmic‐ray observations, the Auger FD turns out to be very sensitive to the ultraviolet emission in elves. The detector features modified Schmidt optics with large apertures resulting in a field of view that spans the horizon, and year‐round operation on dark nights with low moonlight background, when the local weather is favorable. The measured light profiles of 18% of the elve events have more than one peak, compatible with intracloud activity. Within the 3‐year sample, 72% of the elves correlate with the far‐field radiation measurements of the World Wide Lightning Location Network. The Auger Observatory plans to continue operations until at least 2025, including elve observations and analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this observatory is the only facility on Earth that measures elves with year‐round operation and full horizon coverage.
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