About PUEO

Payload

• Main Instrument. 108 dual-polarization quad-ridge horn attentae measuring 300–1200 MHz radio frequencies, measured across 216 channels, arranged in 5 rings in 24 azimuthal sectors: the top four rings are canted 10° downward from the horizon, while the final lowest ring is canted downward at 40° to improve sensitivity to EAS events. Electronics onboard will performed phased array interferometry to improve signal to noise ratios and for better rejection of anthropogenic inteference (typically from well-defined localized sources): masking of affected antennae will also improve detector performance.
• Low Frequency Instrument. A suite of 4 dual-polarized attennae (additional LF horns may be added) which dangle below the gondola. These collect data in an 8-channel band. This dedicated system will improve overall sensitivity to cosmic rays and tau lepton decays: data collected will also inform possible future instruments targeting tau lepton events specifically.
• Supporting Electronics and Hardware. The Main and Low Frequency Instruments are connected to onboard processing systems via Radio Frequency over Fibre to support the 224-channel spectral data collection, digitalized and processed onboard, and stored for collection in hard drives built specifically to operate in the very cold high altitude environment and to survive flight-related stress (including hard landing).
  The gondola is based on the ANITA flights and is designed to be both strong and lightweight to meet long-duration balloon requirements.

Science Highlights:

• Detection and characterization of ultra-high energy neutrinos and cosmic ray events;
  
• Constraints on astrophyical models for neutron-neutron star mergers;
  
• Ultra-high energy events from short gamma-ray bursts.

Archive: HEASARC will host PUEO data, products, and catalogs.