Search for nanosecond-fast optical transients with TAIGA-HiSCORE array.

Discussion timeslot (ZOOM-Meeting): 16. July 2021 - 12:00
ZOOM-Meeting URL: https://desy.zoom.us/j/91896950007
ZOOM-Meeting ID: 91896950007
ZOOM-Meeting Passcode: ICRC2021
Corresponding Session: https://icrc2021-venue.desy.de/channel/28-Searches-for-Transients-MM/120
Live-Stream URL: https://icrc2021-venue.desy.de/livestream/Discussion-06/7

Abstract:
'The open air, wide-angle integrating Cerenkov array TAIGA-HiSCORE (FOV ~0.6 ster) is part of the TAIGA installation for high-energy gamma-ray astronomy and cosmic ray physics. Today this array includes nearly 100 optical detector stations distributed over an area of ~1 km$^2$ in Tunka Valley near lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia. Due to high accuracy and stability of time synchronization of the optical stations (~1 ns), the arrival direction of EAS from the primary particle can be reconstructed to a precision of 0.1°. This array is used to search for nanosecond astrophysical transients in the optical range. This report discusses the method of searching for astrophysical transients using the HiSCORE array and demonstrates its performance on the example of detecting laser pulses from an Earth-bound satellite mission. Search for optical transients in the HiSCORE data of 2018-2019 winter season has been carried out. One candidate for recurrent transient has been detected, but the estimated probability of random chance by fluctuation of background EAS is at least 10%. An upper bound on the event frequency of optical transients will be presented.'

Authors: Alexander Panov | For the TAIGA Collaboration
Collaboration: TAIGA

Indico-ID: 663
Proceeding URL: https://pos.sissa.it/395/951