The AMIGA project aims to extend the range of detection at Auger, to observe cosmic rays of lower energies, up to 1017 eV, and to study the transition from extragalactic (higher energy) to galactic cosmic rays (lower energy).
The AMIGA project is based on the installation and operation of muon counters. Each muon counter consists of 64 plastic scintillators, a TMP multi-pixel electronic acquisition and works together with the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. Muons are elementary particles abundant in atmospheric cascades, which have great penetrating power in matter. Thus, the AMIGA muon counters are buried 2.5m underground, to detect only the muon component of the shower particles.
When the AMIGA project is completed, there will be 61 muon detectors in a space of 25 square kilometers, these will be located near the hill Coihueco, in central western covering 3000 kilometers under the Pierre Auger Observatory. For now, there are seven of these detectors working and their results are promising.
