Preprint
POEMMA-Balloon with Radio: A multi-messenger, multi-detector balloon payload
ArXiv.org
Cornell University
01/27/2026
DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2601.19997
Abstract
A review of the current status of the field of Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Ray (UHECR) including a summary of remaining open questions was presented in the white paper "Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays: at the Intersection of the Cosmic and Energy Frontiers" (Astropart. Phys. 147 (2023) 102794; arXiv:2205.05845). The authors concluded that two types of next-generation detectors are needed to answer these questions: high-accuracy instruments and detectors that maximize exposure at the highest energies. The Probe Of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (POEMMA), a proposed dual-satellite observatory, exemplifies the latter class and is designed to increase statistics of the highest-energy cosmic rays and to detect very-high-energy neutrinos following multi-messenger alerts. POEMMA-Balloon with Radio (PBR) implements a compact, balloon-borne version of the POEMMA concept, adapted for a Super-Pressure Balloon flight from Wanaka, New Zealand, with an expected campaign exceeding 20 days. PBR couples a wide field-of-view Schmidt telescope and a hybrid optical focal surface with a dedicated radio instrument to deliver simultaneous, complementary measurements of extensive air showers. The mission will validate the fluorescence detection strategy from space and raise technology readiness for a POEMMA-like space mission by observing UHECR-induced fluorescence light from suborbital altitudes, obtaining the first simultaneous optical Cherenkov and radio observations of high-altitude horizontal air showers above the cosmic-ray knee (E>3PeV), enabling energy-spectrum and composition studies at the PeV scale, and performing follow-ups of multi-messenger alerts to search for very-high-energy neutrinos via upward-going air showers. This paper summarizes the PBR payload and its expected performance.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- POEMMA-Balloon with Radio: A multi-messenger, multi-detector balloon payload
- Creators
- J AdamsD GargJ AlfaroM. H RenoD AllardP AlldredgeR AloisioR AmmendolaA AnastasioL AnchordoquiD BadoniJ BalážB BaretL Bar-OnM BattistiR BellottiM BertainaM BettsS BlinM BoezioP BořilJ BragueI BucklandJ. Burton HeibgesF. S CafagnaP CaoJ CaracaR CarusoM CasolinoK ČernýA CreusotA CummingsP DegarateC De SantisA DiGiovanniB. J. DiLella A DiSalvoJ EserS FerrareseG FilippatosW FinchJ FordC FornaroA Fox-SmithA FroidP. Gálvez MolinaS GarbolinoB GockelC GuepinA HaungsT HeibgesJ HicksJ HinkelJ KrizmanicL KupariE. H LenzingS MackovjakD MandátM ManfrinA MarcelliL MarcelliG MasciantonioV MasoneE MayotteE MentzellA MeliM MeseS MeyerM MignoneM MillerM MongelliJ MosesE MsihidR MuniniM MurdockC NathanA NovikovS O'BrienA. V OlintoY OnelG OsteriaB PanicoE ParizotG PasseggioT Paul - Columbia UniversityM PechK. Penalo CastilloF PerfettoC PettaP PicozzaL PiotrowskiZ PlebaniakH QureshiE RealiM RicciE RicciA RivettiA RoyF SarazinV ScheriniP SchovánekF. G SchroederV ScottiC ShayA SotgiuR SparvoliB StillwellI StrhárskýJ SzabelskiY TakizawaR TorresR TriggianiC TrimarelliC TusseyJ TuttM UngerT VentersM VenugopalP von BallmoosL WannerD WashingtonR WebbA WeindlL WienckeS WisselA Yuan
- Resource Type
- Preprint
- Publication Details
- ArXiv.org
- DOI
- 10.48550/arxiv.2601.19997
- ISSN
- 2331-8422
- Publisher
- Cornell University; Ithaca, New York
- Language
- English
- Date posted
- 01/27/2026
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9985132205602771
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