The prototype SPHERE-Antarctica station and the possibility of using silicon PMTs to detect the Cherenkov and fluorescent light of EASes

Abstract

The design for a balloon instrument to study the energy spectrum and mass composition of primary cosmic rays at energies exceeding 10¹⁸ eV is presented. It is planned to conduct the experiment during Antarctica’s polar night. The equipment allows the separate registration of fluorescent light (FL) and Cherenkov radiation (CR) in each event. The advantages of the experiment over existing ground-based installations and future orbiting stations are discussed. A way of separating FL from CR with light filters and optical silicon detectors is described.