Ceremony in tribute to Professor Louis Leprince-Ringuet

by (CERN)

Thursday 3 May 2001, 16:00 → 17:00 Europe/Zurich

500/1-001 - Main Auditorium (CERN)

15:30 Coffee 16:00 Welcome by L Maiani, Director General Homage to Louis Leprince-Ringuet by Maurice Jacob 16:30 Colloquium The Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO): Introduction and latest status Professor Livio Scarsi / University of Palermo and Istituto di Fisica Cosmica con Applicazioni all Informatica, CNR The mission Extreme Universe Space Observatory - EUSO - is devoted to the investigation of the Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays (EECR with E>5 10**19 eV) and of the High Energy Cosmic Neutrino flux by looking at the streak of UV fluorescence light produced when the particles coming from Outer Space interact with the Earth's atmosphere. EUSO will observe the fluorescence signal looking downward from a space platform to the dark earth atmosphere under a 60 degrees full field of view; the fluorescence light will be imaged by a large Fresnel lens optics into a finely segmented focal plane detector. The segmentation and the time resolution adopted will allow to reconstruct with high precision the arrival direction and energy of the Extensive Air Shower induced by the primary particle. Fundamental areas such as acceleration processes (Bottom up) up to Lorentz factors of 10**11 and/or the possible existence of Topological Defects in the Universe (Top down) will be investigated. EUSO is a collaborating effort of research groups from Europe, USA and Japan and it has been designed to operate for more than 3 years mission life-time; it is expected to detect of the order of 10**3/year EECR events with E>10**20 eV and to open a window for the High Energy Neutrino Astronomy. Originally proposed to the European Space Agency as a Free Flyer Low Earth Orbit Mission, EUSO has been approved by ESA in March 2001 in a Phase A Study for a mission on the International Space Station as external payload attached to the ESA Columbus module, with a goal for starting operations in the third quarter of 2007.

Organiser(s): Daniel TREILLE/ EP Division

Note: * Tea & coffee will be served at 15:30 hrs. ** Please note change of time for meeting