• Energy Research

We report a measurement of the flux of cosmic rays with unprecedented precision and statistics using the Pierre Auger Observatory. Based on fluorescence observations in coincidence with at least one surface detector we derive a spectrum for energies above 10^18 eV. We also update the previously published energy spectrum obtained with the surface detector array. The two spectra are combined addressing the systematic uncertainties and, in particular, the influence of the energy resolution on the spectral shape. The spectrum can be described by a broken power law E^-gamma with index gamma=3.3 below the ankle which is measured at log10(E/eV) = 18.6. Above the ankle the spectrum is described by a power law with index 2.6 followed by a flux suppression, above about log10(E/eV) = 19.5, detected with high statistical significance. Accepted for publication in Physics Letters B

The Pierre Auger Observatory is an international facility dedicated to the full-sky study of the highest-energy cosmic rays. The southern site of the Auger Observatory was completed in June 2008. Data collected since January 2004 have yielded important information on the energy spectrum, the primary particle composition, the fluxes of photons and neutrinos and on the anisotropic distribution of the arrival directions of the most energetic particles. On this basis, the scientific motivation for the northern Auger Observatory site in Colorado, USA, is discussed. The overall layout, the key components and the expected performance of this 20000km 2 hybrid observatory comprised of an array of 4400 surface detectors and 39 fluorescence telescopes are described.

The Surface Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory is sensitive to neutrinos of all flavours above 0.1 EeV. These interact through charged and neutral currents in the atmosphere giving rise to extensive air showers. When interacting deeply in the atmosphere at nearly horizontal incidence, neutrinos can be distinguished from regular hadronic cosmic rays by the broad time structure of their shower signals in the water-Cherenkov detectors. In this paper we present for the first time an analysis based on down-going neutrinos. We describe the search procedure, the possible sources of background, the method to compute the exposure and the associated systematic uncertainties. No candidate neutrinos have been found in data collected from 1 January 2004 to 31 May 2010. Assuming an E^-2 differential energy spectrum the limit on the single flavour neutrino is (E^2 * dN/dE) < 1.74x10^-7 GeV cm^-2 s^-1 sr^-1 at 90% C.L. in the energy range 1x10^17 eV < E < 1x10^20 eV. 16 pages, 14 figures, published 30 December 2011