Welcome to the TECOP website. Here you will find information on how the University of Tennessee is helping the cosmic ray research effort.

Cosmic Ray Detection in East Tennessee

Cosmic ray showers, caused by interactions between highly energetic (E > 10^19 eV) extrasolar particles and Earth’s atmosphere, are becoming an important subject of international high-energy physics research. The University of Tennessee's Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Society of Physics Students, in conjunction with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have launched a long-term project to study these showers, in order to generate both student interest and outreach to local high schools. Since cosmic ray shower detection requires a large surface area spread, we will place individual networked detectors in area high schools. The gathered cosmic ray coincidence data will be analyzed by the high school students and compiled by UT’s Physics Department. The project was initiated by the undergraduate students but has since grown to include many faculty members, ORNL scientists, and local high school physics students and teachers.

More About Tecop

TECOP is hoping to be the first large area time coincidence array program in the southern United States. With the participation of high school teachers and students, TECOP hopes to be able to detect high energy cosmic ray showers in the greater Knoxville Metropolitan area, Then perhaps, spread the project over the entire state of Tennessee. TECOP plans to implement two detectors per site. Potential sites include school, public buildings, museums, etc.

For information about Tecop click here for a power point presentation.

About our detectors...

For the TECOP project, we will be using EAS detectors, or extensive air shower detectors. Since it is impossible to detect cosmic rays from the surface of the earth, we must detect the subatomic particles that result from the cosmic ray coming into contact with the Earth's atmosphere. In order for the subatomic particles to reach the detectors, the cosmic ray must have an energy greater than 10^20eV. This means that our detectors will only work with the high energy cosmic rays. Our detectors consists of a 1.5m long piece of scintillation plastic with 1 light guide and photo multiplier tube at each of the two ends. The tubes are connected to coincidence logic electronics that allow us to collect data on cosmic ray events. 

For more information about cosmic rays click here for a power point presentation.

Links to Other Cosmic Ray Websites

NALTA - North American Large area Time coincidence Arrays
ALTA - 
CHICOS - California HIgh school Cosmic ray ObServatory
WALTA - WAshington Large area Time coincidence Array

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