Thara Rubi Caba Pineda
Last updated: June 2026, information on this page is related only to work done during the PhD, for more information go to my personal website.
Information
Institute: IAP
Group: Auger
Building: 425, Campus North
Room: 101
Email: thara.pineda#kit.edu
ORCID
Personal Website
Research Project
Preliminary title: Energy Spectrum of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays.
The two largest observatories dedicated to UHECR measurements are the Pierre Auger Observatory (Auger) and the Telescope Array (TA), which have been operating in the Southern and Northern
Hemispheres, respectively, for nearly two decades. Despite their similar detection concepts, the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array report significant differences in the observed
UHECR energy spectrum above approximately 30 EeV. Accurate reconstruction of air-shower properties using fluorescence observations requires precise knowledge of the optical efficiency of the
telescopes and the atmospheric conditions. The EarthCARE (Earth Cloud, Aerosol, and Radiation Explorer) satellite is designed to improve our understanding of clouds and aerosols in the Earth’s
atmosphere. Its onboard Atmospheric Lidar (ATLID) emits laser pulses that have been regularly detected by both the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array. These detections establish a
unique synergy between satellite-based Earth observation and ground-based astroparticle physics. The observatories benefit from the ATLID laser as a well-characterized, external reference light
source for cross-calibration of their energy scales, while simultaneously contributing to satellite validation studies.
This doctoral research focuses on the analysis of EarthCARE satellite overpasses detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory.
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Ralph Engel, Prof. Dr. Jan Kieseler
Scientific Advisor: Dr. Michael Unger
Master's Thesis: Constraining the High-energy Emission of NGC 1068.
Bachelor's Thesis: Deriving very high energy gamma-ray flux upper limits on sky maps using the SkyPrism software.
Publications
Collaboration Internal (GAP) Notes
Posters and Talks
| Event | Location | Title of Presentation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13th KSETA Plenary Workshop | Germany | Poster, Awarded, Observation of EarthCARE Laser Emissions with the Pierre Auger Observatory | Feb 2026 |
Teaching Activities
| SS26 | Moderne Experimentalphysik I, Atome, Kerne und Moleküle. |
Summer Schools and Workshops
- 5th Graduate School on Astro-Particle Physics, Physikzentrum Bad Honnef, 2026.
KSETA Courses
- Galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays and magnetic fields, Glennys Farrar (NYU), 2026.
- Astroparticle Physics II - Gamma-Ray Astronomy and Neutrinos, Prof. Dr. Ralph Engel (KIT), Dr. Darko Veberic (KIT), SS2026.
- Statistics for Physicists, Philipp Eller (TUM), 2026.
- Scientific Presentation, Erika Magyarosi (IMPETUS), 2026.
- Astroparticle Physics II: Cosmic Rays, Prof. Dr. Ralph Engel (KIT), Dr. Darko Veberic (KIT), WS2025.