Muon Content of Extensive Air Showers: Comparison of the Energy Spectra Obtained by the Sydney University Giant Air-Shower Recorder and by the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Sydney University Giant Air-shower Recorder(SUGAR) measured the energy spectrum of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays reconstructed from muon detector reading. Comparison of their spectra SUGAR and Pierre Auger Observatory allows us to reconstruct the empirical dependence of the number of muons in a vertical shower on the primary energy for energies between 1017 and 1018 eV. We compared this dependence with the predictions of hadronic interaction models QGSJET-II-04, EPOS-LHC and SIBYLL-2.3c. In addition, we analyzed the response of the array of muon detectors in order to determine the slope of the muon lateral distribution function. It is important to understand how much the number of muons differs from the predictions of modeling at different distances from the shower axis.     

Lateral distribution of EAS muons measured for the primary cosmic ray energy around 100 TeV

The muonic component of the extensive air showers (EAS) is of great importance for the astroparticle physics. It carries the information about the properties of primary cosmic ray (CR) particles, such as their mass, and electromagnetic and hadronic nature. It provides a sensitive test for the hadronic interaction models, which are inevitable for describing the cascade shower development of cosmic rays in EAS experiments. The YangBaJing Hybrid Array (YBJ-HA) experiment has been in operation since the end of 2016. Surface detectors are used for the measurements of primary energy, angular direction and core position of a shower event, while underground muon detectors are used for measuring the density of muons at various locations. Using the data obtained by the YBJ-HA experiment,this work reports the first measurement of the lateral muon distribution for the primary cosmic ray energy in the 100TeV region. The punch-through effect is evaluated via MC simulation.     

STAR CLUSTER: a tracking array for gamma-ray astronomy

Summary A new type of extensive air shower array-telescope is being constructed, close to the GREX scintillator array at Haverah Park. The design of the new instrument is based on identification and measurement of individual shower particles by means of pattern recognition techniques applied to data from LST chambers above and below a thin sheet of high-Z material. Air showers will be detected in the range from 10¹⁴ eV to 10¹⁸ eV. The directions of the shower primaries will be reconstructed with an accuracy of a few tenths of a degree using triangulation between tracks of detected shower particles: >1 GeV electrons, photons and muons. Particle densities measured at the detector locations will be used to calculate shower sizes and core locations. Information about the height of production of the high-energy secondaries will be obtained for each shower. This information will be taken into account in calculating the primary energies. It will be used together with the observed muon content (ratio of muons to all particles), to draw conclusions about the nature of the primary particles. Paper presented at the V Cosmic Physics National Conference, S. Miniato, November 27–30, 1990.     

Small shower CORSIKA simulations

Extensive Air Showers (EAS) induced by cosmic ray particles of very low energies, owing to the significantly steep cosmic ray energy spectrum, dominate the secondary particle flux measured by single detectors and small shower arrays. Such arrays connected in extended networks can be used to determine potentially interesting spatial correlations between showers, which may shed new light on the nature of ultra high-energy cosmic rays. The quantitative interpretation of showers recorded by small local arrays requires a methodology that differs from that used by ordinary large EAS arrays operating in the "knee" region and above. We present "small EAS generator," a semi-analytical method for integrating cosmic ray spectra over energies of interest and summing over the mass spectra of primary nuclei in arbitrary detector configurations. Furthermore, we provide results on the EAS electron and muon fluxes and particle density spectra.     

Signals in the underground scintillation detectors of the Yakutsk array from muons of extensive air showers

A model of the underground part of the Yakutsk array was developed. The signals from muon scintillation detectors were calculated using the GEANT4 code within this model. It was shown that the signals strongly fluctuate and may be several times higher that the mean ionization energy losses by a single muon. These large losses imitate high muon multiplicity in the case of a low muon density. It was also shown that there are many gamma particles near the shower axis, which significantly contribute to signals in underground detectors and thus make data interpretation difficult.     

Investigating hadronic cores of exstensive air showers at the CARPET-2 array

Characteristics of the hadronic component of exstensive air shower (EAS) trunks are investigated at the CARPET-2 array of the Baksan Neutrino Observatory, Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences. In this work, we study showers with axes that located within its muon detector (MD). We discuss the procedure for selecting such showers in our experiment. The relationship between the number of thermal neutrons detected by heat detectors installed in the muon detector’s tunnel and the total energy of a cascade generated by hadrons in the magnetic detector’s absorbent matter is presented.     

The Carpet-3 experiment to search for diffuse gamma rays with energies of more than 100 TeV

An experiment for measuring the flux of cosmic diffuse gamma rays with energies above 100 TeV (the Carpet-3 air shower array) is now being prepared at the Baksan Neutrino Observatory, Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences. The preparations entail a substantial increase of the areas of both the muon detector and the surface air shower array. The experiment’s sensitivity to showers generated by primary gamma rays is estimated for different configurations of the array. In addition, preliminary estimates of the upper limit on the flux of diffuse gamma rays with energies higher than 1.3 PeV, derived using experimental data from the old Carpet-2 array, are presented for a net exposure time of 9.2 years.     

Expected energy spectrum of cosmic ray protons and helium below4 PeV measured by LHAASO

The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory(LHAASO) is a composite cosmic ray observatory consisting of three detector arrays: kilometer square array(KM2 A), which includes the electromagnetic detector array and muon detector array, water Cherenkov detector array(WCDA) and wide field-of-view Cherenkov telescope array(WFCTA). One of the main scientific objectives of LHAASO is to precisely measure the cosmic rays energy spectrum of individual components from 10~(14) eV to 10~(18) eV. The hybrid observation will be employed by the LHAASO experiment, in which the lateral and longitudinal distributions of extensive air shower can be observed simultaneously. Thus, many kinds of parameters can be used for primary nuclei identification. In this paper, high purity cosmic ray simulation samples of the light nuclei component are obtained using multi-variable analysis. The apertures of 1/4 LHAASO array for pure proton and mixed proton and helium(HHe) samples are 900 m~2 Sr and1800 m~2 Sr, respectively. Prospect of obtaining proton and HHe spectra from 100 TeV to 4 PeV is discussed.     

Evidence for changing of cosmic ray composition between 10(17) and 10(18) eV from multicomponent measurements

The average mass composition of cosmic rays with primary energies between 10(17) and 10(18) eV has been studied using a hybrid detector consisting of the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) prototype and the MIA muon array. Measurements have been made of the change in the depth of shower maximum and the muon density as a function of energy. The results show that the composition is changing from a heavy to lighter mix as the energy increases.     

Development of Yangbajing air shower core detector for a new EAS hybrid experiment

Aiming at the observation of cosmic-ray chemical composition in the "knee" energy region, we have been developing a new type of air-shower core detector(YAC, Yangbajing Air shower Core detector array) to be set up at Yangbajing(90.522?E, 30.102?N, 4300 m above sea level, atmospheric depth: 606 g/m2) in Tibet, China.YAC works together with the Tibet air-shower array(Tibet-Ⅲ) and an underground water Cherenkov muon detector array(MD) as a hybrid experiment.Each YAC detector unit consists of lead plates of 3.5 cm thickness and a scintillation counter which detects the burst size induced by high energy particles in the air-shower cores.The burst size can be measured from 1 MIP(Minimum Ionization Particle) to 106 MIPs.The first phase of this experiment, named"YAC-Ⅱ ", consists of 16 YAC detectors each with a size of 40 cm×50 cm and distributed in a grid with an effective area of 10 m2.YAC-Ⅱ is used to check hadronic interaction models.The second phase of the experiment, called"YAC-Ⅱ ", consists of 124 YAC detectors with coverage of about 500 m2.The inner 100 detectors of 80 cm×50 cm each are deployed in a 10×10 matrix with a 1.9 m separation; the outer 24 detectors of 100 cm×50 cm each are distributed around these to reject non-core events whose shower cores are far from the YAC-Ⅱ array.YAC-Ⅱ is used to study the primary cosmic-ray composition, in particular, to obtain the energy spectra of protons, helium and iron nuclei between 5×1013eV and 1016 eV, covering the "knee" and also connected with direct observations at energies around 100 TeV.We present the design and performance of YAC-Ⅱ in this paper.     

New Method for Estimating the Energy of Extensive Air Showers from Signals of Ground-Based Detectors of the Yakutsk Extensive Air Shower Array

A new method has been proposed for estimating the energy of inclined extensive air showers from signals of ground-based scintillation detectors of the Yakutsk extensive air shower array that are located at a distance of 600 m from the shower axis in the plane of the array and from the calculations of these signals within two hadron interaction models. New estimates of the energy have been obtained for 116 showers detected in different years. It has been shown that the energy spectra of particles of primary cosmic radiation measured at the Yakutsk array are in agreement with world data.     

The determination of the neutron component of cosmic radiation fields in spacecraft

Poly allyl diglycol carbonate (PADC or CR-39^®) etched track detectors may be used to estimate the neutron component of the cosmic radiation in spacecraft using simple techniques developed for neutron personal dosimetry. Electrochemically etched pits are identified and counted using fully automated read-out procedures. The neutron component of the radiation field at the location of the dosimeter will produce electrochemically etchable tracks, as will the proton and energetic heavy charged particle components, depending on particle type, energy and angle of incidence. The response to incident charged particles which produce tracks and are counted as if produced by a neutron, will lead to an over-estimate of the neutron component. A correction can be applied to take account of this, or an additional chemical etch carried out which allows discrimination. Recent results for exposures in low-Earth orbit are reported.     

Angular distribution of cosmic muons using INO–ICAL prototype detector at TIFR

The India-based Neutrino Observatory Collaboration is planning to set up a magnetized 50 kt iron calorimeter (ICAL) with resistive plate chambers (RPC) as active detectors to study neutrino oscillations and precisely measure its parameters.?A prototype detector stack is set up at TIFR (18°54??N, 72°48??E) to track cosmic ray muons.?Using the muon data, angular distribution of cosmic ray muons at the sea level is studied here.     

Measurement of peak fluence of neutron beams using Bi-fission detectors

Fission fragments and other charged particles leave tracks of permanent damage in most of the insulating solids. Damage track detectors are useful for personal dosimeters and for flux/dose determination of high-energy particles from accelerators or cosmic rays. A detector that has its principal response at nucleon energy above 50 MeV is provided by the fission of Bi-209. Neutrons produce the largest percentage of hadron dose in most high-energy radiation fields. In these fields, the neutron spectrum is typically formed by low-energy neutrons (evaporation spectrum) and high-energy neutrons (knock-on spectrum). We used Bi-fission detectors to measure neutron peak fluence and compared the result with the calculated value of neutron peak fluence. For the exposure to 100 MeV we have used the iThemba Facility in South Africa.     

EMMA—a new underground cosmic-ray experiment

An experiment observing underground muons originating from cosmic-ray air showers is under preparation in the Pyhäsalmi mine, Finland. The aim is to cover an area of about 200–300 m², and the detector setup is capable of measuring the muon multiplicity and their lateral distribution. The detector is placed at a depth of about 85 m (corresponding about 240 m w.e.), which gives a threshold energy of muons of about 45 GeV. The detection of the multimuon events is motivated by partly unknown composition of the primary cosmic rays in the energy region of 10¹⁵–10¹⁶ eV, i.e., the knee region. In addition, by measuring only the higher energy muons of the air shower, the lowest energy muons being filtered out by the rock overburden, the data is sensitive also to the studies of the upper parts of the air shower. The experiment will be constructed mainly using drift chambers used previously in LEP detectors at CERN, but it can also be expanded using plastic scintillator detectors. The prototype detector is expected to be running in the beginning of 2006, and the full-size detector by the end of 2007.     

On the theory of generation of a polarized muon-photon shower in crystals under different initial conditions

The process of formation of a polarized muon-photon shower in crystals has been investigated under the following initial conditions: (i) a shower is generated by a high-energy longitudinally polarized initial muon and (ii) a shower is generated by a circulaly polarized high-energy γ photon. Analytical expressions have been obtained for the distribution functions of polarized shower muons and γ photons in the medium and comparative analysis of the number of shower particles under different initial conditions has been performed.     

Muons in Extensive Air Showers with Energy above 10 17 eV According to the Long Standing Studies at the Yakutsk Array

lateral distribution of muons was studied in extensive air showers initiated by cosmic rays with energy above 1017 eV. The study is based on the experimental data of underground scintillation detectors with 1-GeV energy threshold collected during the continuous observational period lasting from 1986 to 2017. Experimentally measured values of muon density are compared to results of simulations performed for primary protons and iron nuclei within the framework of four ultra-high energy hadronic interaction models. The density of particles with 1-GeV threshold obtained in simulations was then converted to the signal of ground-shielded scintillation detectors of the array. Studying the features of the resulting muon lateral distribution has allowed us to reconstruct parameters of longitudinal development of extensive air showers.     

Cathode strip chamber for CMS ME1/1 endcap muon station

Seventy-six serial ME1/1 cathode strip chambers have been produced in Dubna. These chambers are the coordinate detectors of the first muon station of the CMS detector at CERN. This paper describes the design of the chamber, its main mechanical parameters, and the results of the cosmic ray test. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

The extensive air shower muon number spectrum beyond the knee in the cosmic-ray energy spectrum

The extensive air shower (EAS) muon number spectrum is obtained with increased statistics using the central muon detector of the EAS MSU array, which records muons with energies above 10 GeV. The dependence of the mass composition of primary cosmic rays on the energy is considered. The conclusion is confirmed that for energies from 3 × 10¹⁵ eV (the primary energy spectrum knee) up to 10¹⁷ eV a change in the composition associated with an increase in the proportion of heavy nuclei occurs; however, after the energy of 10¹⁷ eV, the proportion of heavy nuclei begins to decrease and the composition becomes lighter. A comparison with similar data from other experiments is conducted. The existence of an additional component of cosmic rays is confirmed; earlier an indication of its presence was derived from data on the EAS electron number spectrum.     

Parameter optimization of a stationary deepwater amplitude cerenkov muon detector

A condition that should be met in the design of both amplitude and temporal detectors for the muon track azimuth to be uniquely recovered is analytically found. An optimal algorithm for muon track reconstruction with an amplitude Cerenkov detector is elaborated. The optimization involves not only the design of the detector but also statistical methods for estimating auxiliary muon track parameters. An original procedure for computing the confidence interval of the muon track parameters is suggested. This procedure is based on the algorithm used for solving the nonlinear programming problem.