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Implementing a WCD detector system in Riobamba (Ecuador) as part of the LAGO Project

Abstract:

The Large Aperture Gamma Ray Burst Observatory (LAGO) is a project that aims to detect high energy photons from GRBs using the single particle technique in ground based Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCDs), which are able to detect most of the secondary particles produced by the interaction of these photons with atmospheric nuclei. To reach a reasonable sensitivity, high altitude mountain sites have been selected and detectors are deployed in eight different countries of Latin America. This work describes the initial testing and performance of a WCD prototype that has been implemented in Escuela Politécnica del Chimborazo in Riobamba, Ecuador, at 2784 m a.s.l. We use a commercial water tank (1100 l) and low cost accessories to build the detector, which will be later installed at 4800 m a.s.l. on the Chimborazo snowcap foothills. Data acquisition and post processing is done using the new electronic system designed for the LAGO detectors, which was developed by the LAGO Argentina team and is based on a digitizer board and a FPGA. This new hardware allows the storage of the time structure of all signals produced in the detector with 25 ns of time resolution. In addition, a water protocol procedure is described, which guarantees a stable performance of the WCD through time. Computer-aided simulations are being carried out during this year in order to calculate the theoretical efficiency of the WCD, properly calibrate the detector, and standardize the data with other LAGO WCD detectors.