Measurement of the underground atmospheric muon charge ratio using the MINOS Near Detector

Journal Article · Tue Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2011 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.83.032011· OSTI ID:21504854

Adamson, P; Bock, G J; Boehnlein, D J; Bogert, D; Childress, S; Choudhary, B C; Harris, D; Hatcher, R; Hylen, J; James, C; Jensen, D; Koizumi, G; Kreymer, A; Lucas, P; Moore, C D; Morfin, J; Plunkett, R K; Rebel, B; Saoulidou, N; Shanahan, P ^[1]

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1. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois 60510 (United States)

The magnetized MINOS Near Detector, at a depth of 225 mwe, is used to measure the atmospheric muon charge ratio. The ratio of observed positive to negative atmospheric muon rates, using 301 days of data, is measured to be 1.266{+-}0.001(stat){sub -0.014}{sup +0.015}(syst). This measurement is consistent with previous results from other shallow underground detectors and is 0.108{+-}0.019(stat+syst) lower than the measurement at the functionally identical MINOS Far Detector at a depth of 2070 mwe. This increase in charge ratio as a function of depth is consistent with an increase in the fraction of muons arising from kaon decay for increasing muon surface energies.

• OSTI ID: 21504854
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 83, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.83.032011; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
KAONS
MINUS-PLUS RATIO
MUONS
PARTICLE DECAY
SURFACE ENERGY
UNDERGROUND
BOSONS
DECAY
DIMENSIONLESS NUMBERS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY
FERMIONS
FREE ENERGY
HADRONS
LEPTONS
LEVELS
MESONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PSEUDOSCALAR MESONS
STRANGE MESONS
STRANGE PARTICLES
SURFACE PROPERTIES
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES