Each Auger ground detector will be equipped with waveform recorders, and the shower traces will be transmitted to the central station for analysis and storage. Figure 3 shows the hit pattern of an event on a ground array. A simple algorithm is applied to the waveforms to determine if a given detector will self-trigger, and take part in an event. This exploits the time-dispersed characteristic of large air showers far from the axis to reduce the rate of background triggers. Simulated amplitude versus time traces for several detectors taking part in a large air shower event.
Time is in nanoseconds, with the detector self-trigger time at zero.
Note that each trace has a different vertical scale.