The Microwave Air Yield Beam Experiment (MAYBE): measurement of GHz radiation for Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays detection

Abstract

We present first measurements by MAYBE of microwave emission from an electron beam induced air plasma, performed at the electron Van de Graaff facility of the Argonne National Laboratory. Coherent radio Cherenkov, a major background in a previous beam experiment, is not produced by the 3 MeV beam, which simplifies the interpretation of the data. Radio emission is studied over a wide range of frequencies between 3 and 12 GHz. This measurement provides further insight on microwave emission from extensive air showers as a novel detection technique for Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays.