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° and different energies of the primary particle. From these distributions, we define Xmaxμ as the depth along the shower axis where the production of muons reaches maximum. We explore the potentiality of Xmaxμ as a useful observable to infer the mass composition of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays. Likewise, we assess its ability to constrain hadronic interaction models. © 2014 American Physical Society.
Documento: | Artículo |
Título: | Muons in air showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory: Measurement of atmospheric production depth |
Autor: | Multitudinario:487 |
Filiación: | Universität Siegen, Siegen, Germany Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas, Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Universidade de Lisboa (UL), Lisbon, Portugal Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino (INAF), Universitá di Torino, Sezione INFN, Torino, Italy University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States Fermilab, Batavia, IL, United States Institut de Physique Nucléaire d'Orsay (IPNO), Université Paris 11, CNRS-IN2P3, Orsay, France Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Física, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Centro Atómico Bariloche and Instituto Balseiro (CNEA-UNCuyo-CONICET), San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina New York University, New York, NY, United States Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Facultad Regional Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina Instituto de Tecnologías en Detección y Astropartí culas (CNEA, CONICET, UNSAM), Buenos Aires, Argentina Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, México, D.F., Mexico Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany Università di Napoli Federico II, Sezione INFN, Napoli, Italy IMAPP, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States Department of Physics and Astronomy, Lehman College, City University of New York, New York, United States Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Energies (LPNHE), Universités Paris 6 et Paris 7, CNRS-IN2P3, Paris, France Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie (LPSC), Université Grenoble-Alpes, CNRS/IN2P3, France Observatorio Pierre Auger and Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Malargüe, Argentina University Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Campus South, Institut für Experimentelle Kernphysik (IEKP), Karlsruhe, Germany Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn, Germany Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Campus North, Institut für Kernphysik, Karlsruhe, Germany Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic INFN, Laboratori Nazionali Del Gran Sasso, Assergi (L'Aquila), Italy Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Física, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN, Krakow, Poland Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania Colorado State University, Pueblo, CO, United States Universidad de Granada, C.A.F.P.E., Granada, Spain Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados Del IPN (CINVESTAV), México, D.F., Mexico Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States Università di Milano, Sezione INFN, Milan, Italy Università di Roma II Tor Vergata, Sezione INFN, Rome, Italy Università di Catania, Sezione INFN, Catania, Italy Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica E. de Giorgi, Dell'Università Del Salento, Sezione INFN, Lecce, Italy Università di Torino, Sezione INFN, Torino, Italy Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico Universidade Estadual de Campinas, IFGW, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil Observatorio Pierre Auger, Malargüe, Argentina Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States University of Chicago, Enrico Fermi Institute, Chicago, IL, United States SUBATECH, École des Mines de Nantes, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France Station de Radioastronomie de Nançay, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS/INSU, Nançay, France Instituto de Astronomía y Física Del Espacio (CONICET-UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina Departamento de Física, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires y CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina Universidade Federal Fluminense, EEIMVR, Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Nikhef, Science Park, Amsterdam, Netherlands Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Física de São Carlos, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, United States Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche e Chimiche, Università dell'Aquila, INFN, L'Aquila, Italy Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (INST), Hanoi, Viet Nam KVI - Center for Advanced Radiation Technology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands IFLP, Universidad Nacional de la Plata, CONICET, La Plata, Argentina RWTH Aachen University, III. Physikalisches Institut A, Aachen, Germany ASTRON, Dwingeloo, Netherlands Experimental Particle Physics Department, J. Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia Laboratory for Astroparticle Physics, University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, United States Instituto de Tecnologías en Detección y Astropartí culas (CNEA, CONICET, UNSAM), National Technological University, Faculty Mendoza (CONICET/CNEA), Mendoza, Argentina Laboratoire de l'Accélérateur Linéaire (LAL), Université Paris 11, CNRS-IN2P3, Orsay, France Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Campus North, Institut für Prozessdatenverarbeitung und Elektronik, Germany University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Brazil Palacky University, RCPTM, Olomouc, Czech Republic Institute of Space Sciences, Bucharest, Romania Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo (INAF), Palermo, Italy University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States Faculdade Independente Do Nordeste, Vitória da Conquista, Brazil Universidade Federal Do ABC, Santo-André, SP, Brazil Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, United Kingdom Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States Rudjer Bošković Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia Instituto de Física de Rosario (IFIR) - CONICET/U.N.R., Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas U.N.R., Rosario, Argentina Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Institute of Particle and Nuclear Physics, Prague, Czech Republic Centro de Investigaciones en Láseres y Aplicaciones, CITEDEF, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina Institut de Física Corpuscular, CSIC-Universitat de Valéncia, Valencia, Spain Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil Dipartimento di Fisica dell'Università and INFN, Genova, Italy University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, United States Gran Sasso Science Institute (INFN), L'Aquila, Italy University of Bucharest, Physics Department, Bucharest, Romania Universidade de São Paulo, Escola de Engenharia de Lorena, Lorena, São Paulo, Brazil Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, United States |
Año: | 2014 |
Volumen: | 90 |
Número: | 1 |
DOI: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.90.012012 |
Título revista: | Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology |
Título revista abreviado: | Phys Rev D Part Fields Gravit Cosmol |
ISSN: | 15507998 |
CODEN: | PRVDA |
Registro: | https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_15507998_v90_n1_p_Multitudinario |