| We discuss recent and future efforts to detect radio signals from extended air showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Malargue, Argentina. With the advent of low-cost, high-performance digitizers and robust digital signal processing software techniques, radio detection of cosmic rays has resurfaced as a promising measurement system. The inexpensive nature of the detector media (metallic wires, rods or parabolic dishes) and economies of scale working in our favor (inexpensive high-quality C-band amplifiers and receivers) make an array of radio antennas an appealing alternative to the expense of deploying an array of Cherenkov detector water tanks or 'fly's eye' optical telescopes for fluorescence detection. The calorimetric nature of the detection and the near 100% duty cycle gives the best of both traditional detection techniques. The history of cosmic ray detection detection will be discussed. A short review on the astrophysical properties of cosmic rays and atmospheric interactions will lead into a discussion of two radio emission channels that are currently being investigated. |
