The Pierre Auger Observatory

Abstract

One of the foremost issues in astrophysics today is that of the origin of the ultra high energy cosmic rays. The Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO), currently under construction in the Province of Mendoza, Argentina, is a broadly based international effort to make a high statistic study of the upper-end of the cosmic ray spectrum. The PAO is the first experiment designed to work in a hybrid detection mode. It consists of an array of 1600 particle detectors spread over 3000 km2 and four fluorescence telescopes placed on the boundaries of the surface array. The concept of the experiment as well as the current status and future prospects are presented.