Latest Results from the Searches for Photons at the Highest Energies with the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Collaboration,
A. Abdul Halim,
P. Abreu,
M. Aglietta,
I. Allekotte,
K. Almeida Cheminant,
A. Almela, R. Aloisio, J. Alvarez-Muñiz, A. Ambrosone, J. Ammerman Yebra, G.A. Anastasi, L.A. Anchordoqui, B. Andrada, L. Andrade Dourado, S. Andringa, L. Apollonio, C. Aramo, E. Arnone, J.C. Arteaga Velazquez, P. Assis, G. Avila, E. Avocone, A. Bakalova, F. Barbato, A. Bartz Mocellin, J.A. Bellido, C. Berat, M.E. Bertaina, M. Bianciotto, P.L. Biermann, V. Binet, K. Bismark, T. Bister, J. Biteau, J. Blazek, J. Blümer, M. Bohacova, D. Boncioli, C. Bonifazi, L. Bonneau Arbeletche, N. Borodai, J. Brack, P.G. Brichetto Orchera, F.L. Briechle, A. Bueno, S. Buitink, M. Buscemi, M. Büsken, A. Bwembya, K.S. Caballero-Mora, S. Cabana-Freire, L. Caccianiga, F. Campuzano, J. Caraça-Valente, R. Caruso, A. Castellina, F. Catalani, G. Cataldi, L. Cazon, M. Cerda, B. Čermáková, A. Cermenati, J.A. Chinellato, J. Chudoba, L. Chytka, R.W. Clay, A. Cobos Cerutti, R. Colalillo, R. Conceição, G. Consolati, M. Conte, F. Convenga, D. Correia dos Santos, P.J. Costa, C. Covault, M. Cristinziani, C.S. Cruz Sanchez, S. Dasso, K. Daumiller, B.R. Dawson, R.M. de Almeida, E.T. de Boone, B. de Errico, J. de Jesús, S.J. de Jong, J. de Mello Neto, I. De Mitri, J. de Oliveira, D. de Oliveira Franco, F. de Palma, V. de Souza, E. De Vito, A. Del Popolo, O. Deligny, N. Denner, L. Deval, A. di Matteo, C. Dobrigkeit, J.C. D'Olivo, L.M. Domingues Mendes, Q. Dorosti, J. dos Anjos, R.C. dos Anjos, J. Ebr, F.H. Ellwanger, R. Engel, I. Epicoco, M. Erdmann, A. Etchegoyen, C. Evoli, H. Falcke, G.R. Farrar, A. Fauth, T. Fehler, F. Feldbusch, A. Fernandes, M. Fernandez, B. Fick, J.M. Figueira, P. Filip, A. Filipcic, T. Fitoussi, B. Flaggs, T. Fodran, A. Franco, M. Freitas, T. Fujii, A. Fuster, C. Galea, B. Garcia, C. Gaudu, P.L. Ghia, U. Giaccari, F. Gobbi, F. Gollan, G. Golup, M. Gómez Berisso, P.F. Gómez Vitale, J.P. Gongora, J.M. Gonzalez, N.M. Gonzalez, D. Gora, A. Gorgi, M. Gottowik, F. Guarino, G. Guedes, L. Gülzow, S. Hahn, P. Hamal, M.R. Hampel, P.M. Hansen, V.M. Harvey, A. Haungs, T. Hebbeker, C. Hojvat, J. Hörandel, P. Horvath, M. Hrabovsky, T. Huege, A. Insolia, P.G. Isar, M. Ismaiel, P. Janecek, V. Jilek, K.H. Kampert, B. Keilhauer, A. Khakurdikar, V.V. Kizakke Covilakam, H. Klages, M. Kleifges, J. Köhler, F. Krieger, M. Kubatova, N. Kunka, B.L. Lago, N. Langner, N. Leal, M.A. Leigui de Oliveira, Y. Lema-Capeans, A. Letessier-Selvon, I. Lhenry-Yvon, L. Lopes, J.P. Lundquist, M. Mallamaci, D. Mandat, P. Mantsch, F.M. Mariani, A. Mariazzi, I.C. Maris, G. Marsella, D. Martello, S. Martinelli, M.A. Martins, H.J. Mathes, J. Matthews, G. Matthiae, E.W. Mayotte, S. Mayotte, P. Mazur, G. Medina-Tanco, J. Meinert, D. Melo, A. Menshikov, C. Merx, S. Michal, M.I. Micheletti, L. Miramonti, M. Mogarkar, S. Mollerach, F. Montanet, L. Morejon, K. Mulrey, R. Mussa, W.M. Namasaka, S. Negi, L. Nellen, K. Nguyen, G. Nicora, M. Niechciol, D. Nitz, D. Nosek, A. Novikov, V. Novotný, L. Nozka, A. Nucita, L.A. Nunez, J. Ochoa, C. Oliveira, L. Östman, M. Palatka, J. Pallotta, S. Panja, G. Parente, T. Paulsen, J. Pawlowsky, M. Pech, J. Pękala, R. Pelayo, V. Pelgrims, L.A. Pereira, E.E. Pereira Martins, C. Pérez Bertolli, L. Perrone, S. Petrera, C. Petrucci, T. Pierog, M. Pimenta, M. Platino, B. Pont, M. Pourmohammad Shahvar, P. Privitera, C. Priyadarshi, M. Prouza, K. Pytel, S. Querchfeld, J. Rautenberg, D. Ravignani, J.V. Reginatto Akim, A. Reuzki, J. Ridky, F. Riehn, M. Risse, V. Rizi, E. Rodriguez, G. Rodriguez Fernandez, J.R. Rodriguez Rojo, S. Rossoni, M. Roth, E. Roulet, A. Rovero, A. Saftoiu, M. Saharan, F. Salamida, H.I. Salazar, G. Salina, P. Sampathkumar, N. San Martin, J. Sanabria Gomez, F.A. Sánchez, E.M. Santos, E. Santos, F. Sarazin, R. Sarmento, R. Sato, P. Savina*, V. Scherini, H. Schieler, M. Schimassek, M. Schimp, D. Schmidt, O. Scholten, H. Schoorlemmer, P. Schovanek, F.G. Schröder, J. Schulte, T. Schulz, S.J. Sciutto, M. Scornavacche, A. Sedoski, A. Segreto, S. Sehgal, S.U. Shivashankara, G. Sigl, K. Simkova, F. Simon, R. Smida, P. Sommers, R. Squartini, M. Stadelmaier, S. Stanič, J. Stasielak, P. Stassi, S. Strähnz, M. Straub, T. Suomijarvi, A.D. Supanitsky, Z. Svozilikova, K. Syrokvas, Z. Szadkowski, F. Tairli, M. Tambone, A. Tapia, C. Taricco, C. Timmermans, O. Tkachenko, P. Tobiska, C.J. Todero Peixoto, B. Tomé, A. Travaini, P. Travnicek, M.J. Tueros, M. Unger, R. Uzeiroska, L. Vaclavek, M. Vacula, I. Vaiman, J.F. Valdés Galicia, L. Valore, P. van Dillen, E. Varela, V. Vašíčková, A. Vásquez-Ramírez, D. Veberic, I.D. Vergara Quispe, S. Verpoest, V. Verzi, J. Vicha, J. Vink, S. Vorobiov, J.B. Vuta, C.K.O. Watanabe, A. Watson, A. Weindl, M. Weitz, L. Wiencke, H. Wilczyński, B. Wundheiler, B. Yue, A. Yushkov, E. Zas, D. Zavrtanik and M. Zavrtaniket al. (click to show)*: corresponding author
Pre-published on:
September 23, 2025
Published on:
December 30, 2025
Abstract
The Pierre Auger Observatory is the most sensitive detector to primary photons with energies above $0.2$ EeV
providing unprecedented exposure to ultra-high-energy (UHE) cosmic rays and specifically to UHE photons.
The Observatory measures extensive air showers using a hybrid technique that combines a fluorescence detector (FD) with a ground array of particle detectors (SD).
The signatures of a photon-induced air shower are a larger atmospheric depth of the shower maximum ($X_\mathrm{max}$) and a steeper lateral distribution function, along with a lower number of muons with respect to the bulk of hadron-induced background.
Using observables measured by the FD and SD, various photon searches in different energy bands are performed.
These efforts have produced some of the most stringent upper limits on the diffuse fluxes of UHE photons.
These limits place significant constraints on current models for the origin of UHE cosmic rays, highlighting the leading role of the Observatory in multimessenger astronomy at the highest energies.
In this contribution, an overview of current activities related to the search for UHE photons is shown, using more than 15 years of data from the Pierre Auger Observatory.
The latest results of the searches for diffuse fluxes of photons will be presented, as well as follow-up searches for UHE photons in association with transient events, such as gravitational wave events, will be summarized.
Future perspectives, in light of the ongoing AugerPrime detector upgrade, will also be discussed, which aim to further enhance the Observatory's sensitivity to photons at the highest energies.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22323/1.501.0965
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