Report on the May 2011 e-vote

Before starting with the item in the agenda, Sergio reminds the CB about the outcomes of the May electronic vote:

• The 2012 Collaboration meetings will be held in March 11-17, June 18-22, and November 11-16. The first and last are standard meetings and will be held in Malargüe. The second is an analysis meeting whose site has to be established at the November 2011 CB meeting. Sergio invited interested groups to make proposals to be submitted at least two weeks before the November meeting.
• New task leaders: Radomir Smida as FD task leader and Jonny Kleinfeller co-task leader. Charles Timmermans and Arnulfo Zepeda as Outreach co-task leaders.
• Changes in the authorship rules as proposed by the Publication committee. Sergio points out that the change concerns authorship of non-Auger papers.
• Reduced operating costs for Vietnam.

Microwave R&D taskforce

Sergio informs the CB that the Project Manager proposed a new task force to coordinate the various activities on Microwave R&D. Pedro Facal is proposed as leader of this task force. A second proposal came for Corinne Berat to be co-task leader of the Monitoring task.

The CB approve by acclamation.

Plans towards realizing a giant cosmic ray observatory after Auger South

Sergio reminds the CB about the steps done in the previous meetings about the future plans after Auger South. A new document has been sent by the Spokespersons to address this issue with the aim of being a reference for the discussion. Sergio asks Karl-Heinz to illustrate the proposal.

Karl-Heinz showing the document notices that three main points are emphasized therein:

1. the operation of the southern site has the highest priority and all financial and human resources should be secured to accomplish the mission.
2. several enhancements (R&D) are on the way to augment the Pierre Auger Observatory detection capabilities.
3. The preparation for a next generation observatory can only be accomplished in a worldwide effort with strong and new strategic partners.

Therefore the spokespersons asks for a mandate to pro-actively get in contact with leading scientists including those from potential member countries interested in the science of the highest energy cosmic rays to discuss about future plans. The main goal is a workshop to be arranged within the next year.

A discussion follows about the possible sites of the workshop and the possible interplay with the foreseen follow-up meeting announced at the Nagoya meeting (Dec 2010, Japan). Several CB members express their preference in favor of CERN to host the meeting and of merging the workshop with the follow-up Nagoya meeting. It is also suggested to address not only to the science case but also to instruments.

The CB approve the mandate to the spokespersons who will report about the organization of the workshop at the next meeting.