Invited Seminars

IIHE invited seminar:The GRAND project

by Dr Kumiko Kotera (Institut Astrophysique de Paris (IAP))

Europe/Brussels
Jean Sacton Seminar room (1G003) (IIHE (ULB-VUB))

Jean Sacton Seminar room (1G003)

IIHE (ULB-VUB)

Description
The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection project aims to detect ultra-high-energy cosmic neutrinos, cosmic rays, and gamma rays with a radio antenna array deployed over a total area of 200 000 km2 in mountainous regions, in several favorable locations around the world. The strategy of GRAND is to detect air showers above 10^17 eV that are induced by the interaction of high-energy particles in the atmosphere or underground, through its associated coherent radio-emission in the 50-200 MHz range. In its final configuration, GRAND plans to reach a sensitivity of ~10^{-10} GeV cm^-2 s^-1 sr^-1 above 5*10^{17} eV and a sub-degree angular resolution. The 300-antenna pathfinder array, GRANDProto300 is planned to be deployed in 2020. It aims at demonstrating autonomous radio detection of inclined air-showers, and make exquisite measurements of the composition and the muon content of cosmic rays around the ankle energy. In this talk, we will show preliminary designs and simulation results, plans for the ongoing, staged approach to construction, and the rich research program made possible by the proposed sensitivity and angular resolution.