1. Detecting Cosmic Rays KICP Extreme Astronomy @ the Planetarium 25 September 2004
Thomas Jordan
QuarkNet Project Coordinator
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Batavia, Illinois

2. Detecting Cosmic Rays
Detection techniques are coupled to the science of interest.
Cosmic rays are everywhere, detecting them is “easy”.
After Swordy
Extreme the Planetarium
T. Jordan 25 September

3. Detecting Cosmic Rays
Teams of physicists, teachers and students have built detectors for use in high schools.
Students can learn much science.
After Swordy
Extreme the Planetarium
T. Jordan 25 September

4. Detecting Cosmic Rays
“garden variety”
Teams of physicists, teachers and students have built detectors for use in high schools.
Students can learn much science.
After Swordy
Extreme the Planetarium
T. Jordan 25 September

5. Detecting Cosmic Rays
“garden variety”
“groovy”
Teams of physicists, teachers and students have built detectors for use in high schools.
Students can learn much science.
After Swordy
Extreme the Planetarium
T. Jordan 25 September

6. Detecting Cosmic Rays
“garden variety”
“groovy”
“dude!”
Teams of physicists, teachers and students have built detectors for use in high schools.
Students can learn much science.
After Swordy
Extreme the Planetarium
T. Jordan 25 September

7. Detecting Cosmic Rays We use: scintillating plastic
photomultiplier tubes
custom electronics
GPS for timing
the web for analysis
100’s of high schools on the continent.
Extreme the Planetarium
T. Jordan 25 September

8. Detecting Cosmic Rays Shape the PMT pulse Check for coincidence
Count the event
Record the times
3E0E E0ACDAA A 06 A +0866
3E0E E1FFEE A 06 A +0900
3E0E808E E E3FCA A 06 A +0950
. . .
Extreme the Planetarium
T. Jordan 25 September

9. Detecting Cosmic Rays Shape the PMT pulse Check for coincidence
Count the event
Record the times
UTC
3E0E E0ACDAA A 06 A +0866
3E0E E1FFEE A 06 A +0900
3E0E808E E E3FCA A 06 A +0950
. . .
Pulse times
Date
Extreme the Planetarium
T. Jordan 25 September

10. Detecting Cosmic Rays So. . . What questions can you ask today?
Extreme the Planetarium
T. Jordan 25 September