Muons in Air Showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory: Measurement of Atmospheric Production Depth.

Aab, A. ; Abreu, P. ; Aglietta, M. ; Ahlers, M. ; Samrai, A.

Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee

关键词: Muons;    Cosmic showers;    Cosmic ray detection;    Atmospherics;    Detectors;   

RP-ID  :  DE141156541

学科分类：工程和技术（综合）

美国|英语

来源: National Technical Reports Library

【 摘 要 】

The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory provides information about the longitudinal development of the muonic component of extensive air showers. Using the timing information from the flash analog-to-digital converter traces of surface detectors far from the shower core, it is possible to reconstruct a muon production depth distribution. We characterize the goodness of this reconstruction for zenith angles around 60 degrees and different energies of the primary particle. From these distributions we define X (sub mu sup max) as the depth along the shower axis where the production of muons reaches maximum. The authors explore the potentiality of X(sub mu sup max) as a useful observable to infer the mass composition of ultra high-energy cosmic rays. Likewise, they assess its ability to constrain hadronic interaction models.