Reconstructing Electric Field Signals from Extensive Air Showers Using Simulation Based Inference
Emily Weissling, Thomas McKinley
Department of Physics & Astronomy
Faculty Supervisor: Oscar Macias
Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) possess energies vastly exceeding those of human-made particle accelerators, yet their origins remain unknown. The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection seeks to identify these origins by detecting radio signals from particle cascades initiated by UHECRs, gamma rays, and neutrinos interacting with Earth's atmosphere. Utilizing advanced Simulation-Based Inference and neural networks trained on realistic synthetic data, we have successfully reconstructed electric field signals. Future improvements include incorporating radio frequency interference, refining signal realism, optimizing model architecture, and evaluating reconstruction accuracy.