We evaluate the exposure during nadir observations with JEM-EUSO, the Extreme Universe Space Obser-\ud vatory, on-board the Japanese Experiment Module of the International Space Station. Designed as a mis-\ud sion to explore the extreme energy Universe from space, JEM-EUSO will monitor the Earth’s nighttime\ud atmosphere to record the ultraviolet light from tracks generated by extensive air showers initiated by\ud ultra-high energy cosmic rays. In the present work, we discuss the particularities of space-based obser-\ud vation and we compute the annual exposure in nadir observation. The results are based on studies of the\ud expected trigger aperture and observational duty cycle, as well as, on the investigations of the effects of\ud clouds and different types of background light. We show that the annual exposure is about one order of\ud magnitude higher than those of the presently operating ground-based observatories

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Abstract.The seismic structure of the transition zone beneath the northwestern Pacific ocean is studied by comparing regional distance seismic waveforms with synthetic seismograms. By modeling waveforms we incorporate the travel times of secondary waves that are not included in traveltime data used in most P wave tomography experiments. These secondary waves are highly sensitive to the velocity above the 660 km discontinuity and thus add information on the seismic structure of the transition zone independent of that used in many tomography experiments. We used just two one-dimensional models in the waveform comparison. The iasp91(slightly modified in the shallower depths as aiasp) is used as a global average structure, and model M3.11 is used as representative of transition zone structure near a deep subducting slab. Model M3.11 is faster than iasp91 from 525 to 660 km depth but also has a 30 km deeper "660" km discontinuity. Our results show strong variations in the transition zone structure beneath the northwestern Pacific. Data that sample beneath the northwestern Japanese subduction zone and the southern Kuriles are well fit by model M3.11. The deep structure beneath the Bohai Sea, to the west of Korea, also appears to show slab-related velocity anomalies in the transition zone. In contrast, the seismic data sampling beneath the Yellow Sea to the East China Sea are better modeled using the global average model iasp91. Data that sampled beneath the Philippine Sea showed evidence for anomalously high velocity in the transition zone, but there is little apparent change in the depth of the 660 km discontinuity there. The overall results are in agreement with past work indicating fairly broad regions where subducting plate is lying fiat or piling up within the transition zone, although we find that the region where this occurs, and thus the total volume of slab within the upper mantle, is considerably less than that seen in past studies. The unusual structure beneath the Philippine plate may be due to the relatively recent descent of slab beneath this region. The slab itself is cold, and thus anomalously fast, but the deeper mantle may not have cooled enough for the 660 km discontinuity to have deepened.

We present the 2-D self-consistent dynamical model of interactions of a subducting slab with the 410-km and 660-km phase boundaries to further our understanding of the relation between the slab stagnation/penetration and the trench migration. Our model takes into account freely-movable plate boundaries and the difference between tensional and compressional yield strengths in the lithosphere. For the case in which the tensional strength is weaker than the compressional one, the negative buoyancy of the subducting slab produces extension of the overriding lithosphere and, accordingly, the trench retreats. Interactions with the 410-km and 660-km phasetransition boundaries further promote the trench retreat, and the dip angle of the slab is substantially decreased. This enhances the resistance of the 660-km phase boundary against the slab penetration. Slab weakening caused by the grain-size reduction in the transition zone may result in a horizontally-lying slab and trench retreat.

We address the use of regional broad‐band waveform data to better constrain the upper mantle transition zone structure. We then show evidence of high velocity anomalies in the transition zone associated with the southern Kurile subduction zone. Modeling of the triplicated regional waveforms supports that high velocity anomalies exist in the deeper part of the transition zone (over 500 km in depth), and the “660” discontinuity may be depressed to about 690 km depth. Our results suggest there is some degree of flattening of the slab in the southern Kuriles.

n this paper we describe the main characteristics of the JEM-EUSO instrument. The Extreme Universe Space Observatory on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM-EUSO) of the International Space Station (ISS) will observe Ultra High-Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR) from space. It will detect UV-light of Extensive Air Showers (EAS) produced by UHECRs traversing the Earth's atmosphere. For each event, the detector will determine the energy, arrival direction and the type of the primary particle. The advantage of a space-borne detector resides in the large field of view, using a target volume of about 10(12) tons of atmosphere, far greater than what is achievable from ground. Another advantage is a nearly uniform sampling of the whole celestial sphere. The corresponding increase in statistics will help to clarify the origin and sources of UHECRs and characterize the environment traversed during their production and propagation. JEM-EUSO is a 1.1 ton refractor telescope using an optics of 2.5 m diameter Fresnel lenses to focus the UV-light from EAS on a focal surface composed of about 5,000 multi-anode photomultipliers, for a total of a parts per thousand integral 3a <...10(5) channels. A multi-layer parallel architecture handles front-end acquisition, selecting and storing valid triggers. Each processing level filters the events with increasingly complex algorithms using FPGAs and DSPs to reject spurious events and reduce the data rate to a value compatible with downlink constraints