Cosmic Ray RF detection with the Astroneu array

•RF detection of high-energy air showers.•Small-scale hybrid detector arrays for EAS detection.•RF detection in strong electromagnetic noise environments. Results will be shown from the Astroneu array developed and operated in the outskirts of Patras, Greece. An array of 9 scintillator detectors and 3 antennas were deployed to study Extensive Air Showers (EAS) as a tool for calibrating an underwater neutrino telescope, possible other applications in muon tomography, education purposes, and last but not least, for the detection of air showers via their electromagnetic signature. In this work we concentrate to the electromagnetic detection of air showers presenting the operation of the RF system, as well as the analysis of the radio signals captured in coincidence with the scintillator detectors. We demonstrate the adequacy of the method to detect cosmic events even in the presence of high urban electromagnetic background, using noise filters, timing and signal polarization. The results are compared with well understood event reconstruction using the scintillator detectors and are indicating that cosmic showers were detected, proving that such small scale hybrid arrays can operate in strong background noise environments.