The Fluorescence Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory — a Calorimeter for UHECR

The Pierre Auger Observatory is a hybrid detector for ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECR) with energies above 10^18.5 eV. Currently the first part of the Observatory nears completion in the southern hemisphere in Argentina. One detection technique uses over 1600 water Cherenkov tanks at ground where samples of secondary particles of extensive air showers (EAS) are detected. The second technique is a calorimetric measurement of the energy deposited by EAS in the atmosphere. Charged secondary particles of EAS lose part of their energy in the atmosphere via ionization. The deposited energy is converted into excitation of molecules of the air and afterwards partly emitted as fluorescence light mainly from nitrogen in the wavelength region between 300 and 400 nm. This light is observed with 24 fluorescence telescopes in 4 stations placed at the boundary of the surface array. This setup provides a combined measurement of the longitudinal shower development and the lateral particle distribution at ground of the same event. Details on the fluorescence technique and the necessary atmospheric monitoring will be presented, as well as first physics results on UHECR.