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UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST
FACULTY OF PHYSICS Guest
2024-11-22 1:51 |
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Conference: Bucharest University Faculty of Physics 2012 Meeting
Section: Nuclear and Elementary Particles Physics
Title:
Possibility to discriminate the mass of the primary cosmic ray using the muon arrival times from extensive air showers. Application for Pierre Auger Observatory.
Authors:
N. ARSENE (1), H. REBEL (2), O. SIMA (2)
Affiliation:
1 Institute of Space Science, Magurele
2 University of Bucharest
E-mail
nicusorarsene@spacescience.ro
Keywords:
cosmic rays, extensive air showers, Pierre Auger Observatory
Abstract:
Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO) measures the ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECR`s) flux with the energy higher than 10^18 eV, exceeding even 10^21 eV, and tries to explain the energy spectrum, the acceleration mechanisms and propagation of particles with energy higher than the limit predicted by Greisen–Zatsepin–Kuzmin (GZK) cut off. The possibility to identify the mass of the primary cosmic rays is also important for a more accurate evaluation of the proton-air cross section and for understanding the propagation mechanism through the Universe. In estimating the mass of primary cosmic ray, PAO measures the Xmax (the height where the particles density is maximum in extensive air showers) with fluorescence detectors (FD), but this technique has a low duty cycle of about 10% . In this paper a study concerning the possibility to discriminate the mass of the primary cosmic ray using the muon arrival times in ground detectors is presented. We analyzed extensive air showers induced by proton and iron nuclei with the same energy 8x10^17 eV simulated with CORSIKA, and analyzed the muon arrival times at ground using the infill array detectors from the PAO. From the arrival times of the core and of the muons the atmospheric depth of muon generation locus is evaluated. The results suggest a potential mass discrimination on the basis of the reconstructed atmospheric depth of muon production. Analysis of a larger set of CORSIKA simulations carried out for primary energies above 10^18 eV is in progress.
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