"I will present the design and implementation of the Microwave Detection of Air Showers (MIDAS) experiment, a pathfinder for detection of Extensive Air Showers (EAS) induced by Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs). The MIDAS experiment uses a multi-pixel imaging telescope instrumented with commercially sourced GHz receivers and custom fast-detection electronics to search for EAS. The microwave detection technique is analogous to the already successful fluorescence technique, but with nearly 100% duty cycle. If successful, the microwave technique will provide an attractive method for instrumenting the extremely large areas required by future UHECR observatories. The first science phase of the MIDAS experiment gathered 61 days of livetime data operating on the University of Chicago campus. I will present the current limits on EAS microwave emission from this data set. The second science phase is underway with installation of the MIDAS detector at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Malargüe, Argentina. Operating in coincidence with the Auger surface detector will greatly increase the sensitivity of the MIDAS experiment."
Williams is an experimentalist; he is working on new techniques to detect the highest-energy particles in the universe, seeking clues to their unknown origins.
The Dr. Pliny A. and Margaret H. Price Prize was established in 2009 by a generous gift of $127,000 from Steve Price and Jill Levy to support the Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics in the Department of Physics. The endowment is named after Steve's parents. Steve and Jill reside in Westerville and are admirers of the study of this science.
The Price Prize will be awarded annually to graduate students in recognition of research excellence in areas closely related to CCAPP science initiatives. Award recipients will be selected based on a review of their research in the areas of cosmology and astroparticle physics.
Price Prize winners will spend an extended period visiting CCAPP, give the Price Prize seminar on their research, and receive a $1500 honorarium. The continued generosity of the donors made it possible to offer two prizes this year.
http://www.ccapp.osu.edu/priceprize.html
