The JEM-EUSO mission: An introduction

Adams, J. H.; Ahmad, S.; Albert, J. N.; Allard, D.; Anchordoqui, L.; Andreev, V.; Anzalone, A.; Arai, Y.; Asano, K.; Ave Pernas, M.; Baragatti, P.; Barrillon, P.; Batsch, T.; Bayer, J.; Bechini, R.; Belenguer, T.; Bellotti, R.; Belov, K.; Berlind, A. A.; Bertaina, M.; Biermann, P. L.; Biktemerova, S.; Blaksley, C.; Blanc, N.; Błȩcki, J.; Blin Bondil, S.; Blã¼mer, J.; Bobik, P.; Bogomilov, M.; Bonamente, M.; Briggs, M. S.; Briz, S.; Bruno, A.; Cafagna, F.; Campana, D.; Capdevielle, J. N.; Caruso, R.; Casolino, M.; Cassardo, C.; Castellini, G.; Catalano, C.; Catalano, O.; Cellino, A.; Chikawa, M.; Christl, M. J.; Cline, D.; Connaughton, V.; Conti, L.; Cordero, G.; Crawford, H. J.; Cremonini, R.; Csorna, S.; Dagoret Campagne, S.; De Castro, A. J.; De Donato, C.; De La Taille, C.; De Santis, C.; Del Peral, L.; Dell’Oro, A.; De Simone, N.; Di Martino, M.; Distratis, G.; Dulucq, F.; Dupieux, M.; Ebersoldt, A.; Ebisuzaki, T.; Engel, R.; Falk, S.; Fang, K.; Fenu, F.; Fernã¡ndez Gã³mez, I.; Ferrarese, S.; Finco, D.; Flamini, M.; Fornaro, C.; Franceschi, A.; Fujimoto, J.; Fukushima, M.; Galeotti, P.; Garipov, G.; Geary, J.; Gelmini, G.; Giraudo, G.; Gonchar, M.; Gonzã¡lez Alvarado, C.; Gorodetzky, P.; Guarino, Fausto; Guzmã¡n, A.; Hachisu, Y.; Harlov, B.; Haungs, A.; Hernã¡ndez Carretero, J.; Higashide, K.; Ikeda, D.; Ikeda, H.; Inoue, N.; Inoue, S.; Insolia, A.; Isgro', Francesco; Itow, Y.; Joven, E.; Judd, E. G.; Jung, A.; Kajino, F.; Kajino, T.; Kaneko, I.; Karadzhov, Y.; Karczmarczyk, J.; Karus, M.; Katahira, K.; Kawai, K.; Kawasaki, Y.; Keilhauer, B.; Khrenov, B. A.; Kim, Jeong Sook; Kim, Soon Wook; Kim, Sug Whan; Kleifges, M.; Klimov, P. A.; Kolev, D.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Kudela, K.; Kurihara, Y.; Kusenko, A.; Kuznetsov, E.; Lacombe, M.; Lachaud, C.; Lee, J.; Licandro, J.; Lim, H.; Lã³pez, F.; Maccarone, M. C.; Mannheim, K.; Maravilla, D.; Marcelli, L.; Marini, A.; Martinez, O.; Masciantonio, G.; Mase, K.; Matev, R.; Medina Tanco, G.; Mernik, T.; Miyamoto, H.; Miyazaki, Y.; Mizumoto, Y.; Modestino, G.; Monaco, A.; Monnier Ragaigne, D.; Morales De Los Rã­os, J. A.; Moretto, C.; Morozenko, V. S.; Mot, B.; Murakami, T.; Nagano, M.; Nagata, M.; Nagataki, S.; Nakamura, T.; Napolitano, T.; Naumov, D.; Nava, R.; Neronov, A.; Nomoto, K.; Nonaka, T.; Ogawa, T.; Ogio, S.; Ohmori, H.; Olinto, A. V.; Orleański, P.; Osteria, G.; Panasyuk, M. I.; Parizot, E.; Park, I. H.; Park, H. W.; Pastircak, B.; Patzak, T.; Paul, T.; Pennypacker, C.; Perez Cano, S.; Peter, T.; Picozza, P.; Pierog, T.; Piotrowski, L. W.; Piraino, S.; Plebaniak, Z.; Pollini, A.; Prat, P.; Prã©vã´t, G.; Prieto, H.; Putis, M.; Reardon, P.; Reyes, M.; Ricci, M.; Rodrã­guez, I.; Frã­as, M. D. Rodrã­guez; Ronga, F.; Roth, M.; Rothkaehl, H.; Roudil, G.; Rusinov, I.; Rybczyński, M.; Sabau, M. D.; Sã¡ez Cano, G.; Sagawa, H.; Saito, A.; Sakaki, N.; Sakata, M.; Salazar, H.; Sã¡nchez, S.; Santangelo, A; Santiago Crãºz, L.; Sanz Palomino, M.; Saprykin, O.; Sarazin, F.; Sato, H.; Sato, M.; Schanz, T.; Schieler, H.; Scotti, V.; Segreto, A.; Selmane, S.; Semikoz, D.; Serra, M.; Sharakin, S.; Shibata, T.; Shimizu, H. M.; Shinozaki, K.; Shirahama, T.; Siemieniec Oziȩbło, G.; Silva Lã³pez, H. H.; Sledd, J.; Słomińska, K.; Sobey, A.; Sugiyama, T.; Supanitsky, D.; Suzuki, M.; Szabelska, B.; Szabelski, J.; Tajima, F.; Tajima, N.; Tajima, T.; Takahashi, Y.; Takami, H.; Takeda, M.; Takizawa, Y.; Tenzer, C.; Tibolla, O.; Tkachev, L.; Tokuno, H.; Tomida, T.; Tone, N.; Toscano, S.; Trillaud, F.; Tsenov, R.; Tsunesada, Y.; Tsuno, K.; Tymieniecka, T.; Uchihori, Y.; Unger, M.; Vaduvescu, O.; Valdã©s Galicia, J. F.; Vallania, P.; Valore, Laura; Vankova, G.; Vigorito, C.; Villaseã±or, L.; Von Ballmoos, P.; Wada, S.; Watanabe, J.; Watanabe, S.; Watts, J.; Weber, M.; Weiler, T. J.; Wibig, T.; Wiencke, L.; Wille, M.; Wilms, J.; Włodarczyk, Z.; Yamamoto, T.; Yamamoto, Y.; Yang, J.; Yano, H.; Yashin, I. V.; Yonetoku, D.; Yoshida, K.; Yoshida, S.; Young, R.; Zotov, M. Y. U.; Zuccaro Marchi, A.

doi:10.1007/s10686-015-9482-x

The Extreme Universe Space Observatory on board the Japanese Experiment Module of the International Space Station, JEM-EUSO, is being designed to search from space ultra-high energy cosmic rays. These are charged particles with energies from a few 10(19) eV to beyond 10(20) eV, at the very end of the known cosmic ray energy spectrum. JEM-EUSO will also search for extreme energy neutrinos, photons, and exotic particles, providing a unique opportunity to explore largely unknown phenomena in our Universe. The mission, principally based on a wide field of view (60 degrees) near-UV telescope with a diameter of similar to 2.5 m, will monitor the earth's atmosphere at night, pioneering the observation from space of the ultraviolet tracks (290-430 nm) associated with giant extensive air showers produced by ultra-high energy primaries propagating in the earth's atmosphere. Observing from an orbital altitude of similar to 400 km, the mission is expected to reach an instantaneous geometrical aperture of A (g e o) a parts per thousand yen 2 x 10(5) km(2) sr with an estimated duty cycle of similar to 20 \%. Such a geometrical aperture allows unprecedented exposures, significantly larger than can be obtained with ground-based experiments. In this paper we briefly review the history of space-based search for ultra-high energy cosmic rays. We then introduce the special issue of Experimental Astronomy devoted to the various aspects of such a challenging enterprise. We also summarise the activities of the on-going JEM-EUSO program.

The JEM-EUSO mission: An introduction / Adams, J.H., Ahmad, S., Albert, J.N., Allard, D., Anchordoqui, L., Andreev, V., Anzalone, A., Arai, Y., Asano, K., Ave Pernas, M., Baragatti, P., Barrillon, P., Batsch, T., Bayer, J., Bechini, R., Belenguer, T., Bellotti, R., Belov, K., Berlind, A.A., Bertaina, M., et al.. - In: EXPERIMENTAL ASTRONOMY. - ISSN 0922-6435. - 40:1(2015), pp. 3-17. [10.1007/s10686-015-9482-x]