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Hisparc Status

Hisparc is an outreach project that aims to bring high-school students in contact with science by involving them in a scientific experiment on air showers. The project involves using scintillators on school roofs to determine the energy and direction of air showers, which occur rarely with the highest energies. This text discusses the progress made in 2004 and plans for 2005, as well as examples of students' participation and activities.

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Hisparc Status

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  1. hisparc project: outreach hisparc mission examples of students participation progress 2004 plans for 2005 Hisparc Status

  2. Showers • Hisparc: outreach project • bring high-school students in contact with science • participate in scientific experiment • air showers: highest energies occur rarely (e.g. 1 event per 100 square kilometer per year) • determine energy and direction with scintillators on school roofs. (figure from Nagano en Watson, Rev. Mod. Phys. 72, 689 (2000)).

  3. detector • 2 scintillator detectors placed a few meters apart (typical coincidence rate of 0.3 Hz) • a GPS antenna for accurate timing • From the ‘profielwerkstuk’ from Utrecht (Pieter de Goeje, Veerle Bodewes, Brend Wanders) http://osg-schoonoord.doorn.kennisnet.nl/vwo-5/intern/napohisparc/

  4. Activities 2004 • Nahsa (Nijmegen, Charles Timmermans) started in 2002. • increased to 7 active detectors • focuses also on data analysis • published first scientific result (NtvN). • Active detectors in Amsterdam (14 built, 12 installed) • new electronics • hisparc website, www.hisparc.nl (Kees Huyser) • Leiden • 1 detector active, above minigrail • 2 more in progress in region Leiden. Next year: Khartoum Sudan (pierre van Baal) • Utrecht • 1 detector active, 2 being built • measured tracks • Groningen • 4 detectors being built

  5. High school student activities • In Nijmegen: building and analysis • In other clusters: mainly building the detector

  6. Student activities • about 150 “profielwerkstukken” • building detector • particles, muons, cosmic rays, showers, scintillation, photo-electric effect • oscilloscope, impedance matching, fast electronics • hardware, grinding, polishing etc. • calibrations, excel, statistics (Poisson, Gaussian distributions) • several movies and interviews • most schools with web sites • software development • cosmic rays • GPS positioning • weather • promotion videos etc. students calibrating a scintillator plate

  7. Hisparc DAQ

  8. Data retrieval • Data : retrievable via website • mysql database

  9. data analysis • Rate dependence on weather ( F. Hidde, Herman Wesselink College) • thunderstorm on Nov. 26

  10. Electronics • lineair amplification • modified filter, impedance matching, integrator circuit • 12 volt circuit for photomultiplier tube • modified coincidence timing • integrated scalers • many thanks to Henk Peek

  11. Electronics, Altran • current design not scalable, too much man power involved • Improved design from Altran • Rob Derlage (Altran) • analog part: Hans Verkooijen (NIKHEF) • usb interface • integrated ADC’s – 440 MHz sampling • integrated GPS timing • fully programmable logic and settings • up to 4 channels • scaler readout, etc. • cost reduction, factor 3

  12. Altran design (Rob Derlage) technical design specifications are being discussed now

  13. Press Coverage • many (~50) news paper articles • including 3 in Volkskrant and 1 in NRC • Natuur, wetenschap and techniek • intermediair • national radio, television Noord Holland • article in Nature • june 17, 2004 vol. 6993 • first scientific results in Nederlands tijdschrift voor Natuurkunde (Charles Timmermans)

  14. Outlook • Next year: get most out of Altran award • ready to grow • electronics • data warehousing • funding, professional organization • electronic learning environment (J. Colle and F. Hidde) • analysis, profielwerkstukken, teacher network (F. van Liempt et al.) • contacts with Coach people (Amstel Institute) • hisparc analysis in coach, detector compatible with coach • European contacts (Poland, Sweden, Portugal, England...) • make detector network • www.geluids.net • weather information • Lofar – Nijmegen is testing with a Lofar detector • possible grid at high schools, virtual school lab • Peter Sloot (UvA)

  15. Virtual laboratory Sound LOFAR Wind Cosmics … … … GPS Intelligent Detector Interface Grid Middleware …High School Network… Connect experiments, data and students in ‘Virtual Laboratory’

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