The Search for and Study of EAS Candidates in the TUS Orbital Experiment

Abstract

The TUS (Tracking Ultraviolet Setup) detector aboard the Lomonosov satellite was launched into a Sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of ~500 km on April 28, 2016. The main purpose of the TUS orbital experiment is to search for ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) with Е > 70 EeV by measuring the fluorescence and Cherenkov radiation of extensive air showers (EASes) in the Earth’s atmosphere. The design and operating principles of the TUS detector are briefly described. A multilevel algorithm developed to search for and reconstruct EAS events (candidates) in the region of UHECRs is used to analyze the TUS data. Preliminary results from the TUS in orbit, including the results from the search for and study of identified EAS candidates, are presented.