First results from the full-scale prototype for the Fluorescence detector Array of Single-pixel Telescopes

Abstract

The Fluorescence detector Array of Single-pixel Telescopes (FAST) is a design concept for the next generation of ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) observatories, addressing the requirements for a large-area, low-cost detector suitable for measuring the properties of the highest energy cosmic rays. In the FAST design, a large field of view is covered by a few pixels at the focal plane of a mirror or Fresnel lens. Motivated by the successful detection of UHECRs using a prototype comprised of a single 200 mm photomultiplier-tube and a 1 m 2 Fresnel lens system [Astropart.Phys. 74 (2016) 64-72], we have developed a new full-scale prototype consisting of four 200 mm photomultiplier-tubes at the focus of a segmented mirror of 1.6 m in diameter. In October 2016 we installed the full-scale prototype at the Telescope Array site in central Utah, USA, and began steady data taking. We report on first results of the full-scale FAST prototype, including measurements of artificial light sources, distant ultraviolet lasers, and UHECRs.