HiCal 2: An instrument designed for calibration of the ANITA experiment and for Antarctic surface reflectivity measurements

Abstract

The NASA supported High-Altitude Calibration (HiCal)-2 instrument flew as a companion balloon to the ANITA-4 experiment in December 2016. Based on a HV discharge pulser producing radio-frequency (RF) calibration pulses, HiCal-2 comprised two payloads, which flew for a combined 18 days, covering 1.5 revolutions of the Antarctic continent. ANITA-4 captured over 10,000 pulses from HiCal, both direct and reflected from the surface, at distances varying from 100-800 km, providing a large dataset for surface reflectivity measurements. Herein we present details on the design, construction and performance of HiCal-2.

arXiv commentPublished in NIM-A, final version

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• Observation of Ultra-high-energy Cosmic Rays with the ANITA Balloon-borne Radio Interferometer
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• TAROGE-M: Radio Antenna Array on Antarctic High Mountain for Detecting Near-Horizontal Ultra-High Energy Air Showers
• Experimental tests of sub-surface reflectors as an explanation for the ANITA anomalous events
• General Treatment of Reflection of Spherical Electromagnetic Waves from a Spherical Surface and its Implications for the ANITA Anomalous Polarity Events