Research Topic
The Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO) (see http://www.auger.org) is an international scientific experiment with the aim of studying cosmic rays at the ultra-high energies (UHECRs) produced in the Universe. The Observatory is located on a large upland of 3000 km^2 in Argentina where an hybrid system of detectors (a combination of 1600 water-Cherenkov detectors and 24 fluorescence telescopes) is devoted for determining the properties (energy, mass composition and arrival direction) of UHECRs and identifying their astrophysical sources. Since 2016 the Auger Collaboration has begun a major upgrade (AugerPrime) of its already impressive capabilities currently under final installation. The understanding and analysis of new high-quality data is the main goal of this proposal of PH.D. thesis.