Advanced thin ionization calorimeter to measure ultrahigh energy cosmic rays

Abstract An Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter (ATIC) will be used to investigate the charge composition and energy spectra of primary cosmic rays over the energy range from about 10 10 to >10 14 eV in a series of long-duration balloon flights. The totally active BGO calorimeter, 22 radiation length thick, will measure the electromagnetic energy ensuing from nuclear interactions in a one interaction length thick carbon target. Trajectory information will be obtained from the location of the cascade axis in the BGO calorimeter and in the segmented scintillator layers of the upstream carbon target. The highly segmented charge module comprised of scintillator strips, a silicon matrix, and a Cherenkov array will minimize the effect of backscattered particles on primary charge measurements. While obtaining new high priority scientific results, the ATIC balloon payload can also serve as a proof of concept, or engineering model, for a BGO calorimeter-based instrument on the International Space Station. We examine the added advantage of locating such an experiment for long durations on a platform such as the Space Station.