Imaging the radio-wave emission from extensive air showers

Abstract

We propose a new way to observe cosmic-ray-induced air showers by imaging the radio emission. With simulations we demonstrate key features for imaging the radio-wave emission from air showers, which show similarities to the well-established atmospheric imaging Cherenkov technique in gamma-ray astronomy. In addition, we find that imaging the emission with a camera, consisting of multiple antennas, resolves emission that is not accessible to a single antenna. Pursuing this technique, with a camera operating in the GHz frequency domain, might be beneficial ultra-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy and other studies that include detailed observations of air showers.