Direct measurement of the muonic content of extensive air showers between 2 $\times$ 1017 and 2 $\times$ 1018 eV at the Pierre Auger Observatory

Aab, A.; Abreu, P.; Aglietta, M.; Albury, J. M.; Allekotte, I.; Almela, A.; Alvarez Castillo, J.; Alvarez-Muñiz, J.; Anastasi, G. A.; Anchordoqui, L.; Andrada, B.; Andringa, S.; Aramo, C.; Araújo Ferreira, P. R.; Asorey, H.; Assis, P.; Avila, G.; Badescu, A. M.; Bakalova, A.; Balaceanu, A.; Barbato, F.; Barreira Luz, R. J.; Becker, K. H.; Bellido, J. A.; Berat, C.; Bertaina, M. E.; Bertou, X.; Biermann, P. L.; Bister, T.; Biteau, J.; Blanco, A.; Blazek, J.; Bleve, C.; Boháčová, M.; Boncioli, D.; Bonifazi, C.; Bonneau Arbeletche, L.; Borodai, N.; Botti, A. M.; Brack, J.; Bretz, T.; Briechle, F. L.; Buchholz, P.; Bueno, A.; Buitink, S.; Buscemi, M.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Caccianiga, L.; Calcagni, L.; Cancio, A.; Canfora, F.; Caracas, I.; Carceller, J. M.; Caruso, R.; Castellina, A.; Catalani, F.; Cataldi, G.; Cazon, L.; Cerda, M.; Chinellato, J. A.; Choi, K.; Chudoba, J.; Chytka, L.; Clay, R. W.; Cobos Cerutti, A. C.; Colalillo, R.; Coleman, A.; Coluccia, M. R.; Conceição, R.; Condorelli, A.; Consolati, G.; Contreras, F.; Convenga, F.; Covault, C. E.; Dasso, S.; Daumiller, K.; Dawson, B. R.; Day, J. A.; de Almeida, R. M.; de Jesús, J.; de Jong, S. J.; De Mauro, G.; de Mello Neto, J. T.; De Mitri, I.; de Oliveira, J.; de Oliveira Franco, D.; de Souza, V.; Debatin, J.; del Río, M.; Deligny, O.; Dhital, N.; Di Matteo, A.; Díaz Castro, M. L.; Dobrigkeit, C.; D’Olivo, J. C.; Dorosti, Q.; dos Anjos, R. C.; Dova, M. T.; Ebr, J.; Engel, R.; Epicoco, I.; Erdmann, M.; Escobar, C. O.; Etchegoyen, A.; Falcke, H.; Farmer, J.; Farrar, G.; Fauth, A. C.; Fazzini, N.; Feldbusch, F.; Fenu, F.; Fick, B.; Figueira, J. M.; Filipčič, A.; Freire, M. M.; Fujii, T.; Fuster, A.; Galea, C.; Galelli, C.; García, B.; Garcia Vegas, A. L.; Gemmeke, H.; Gesualdi, F.; Gherghel-Lascu, A.; Ghia, P. L.; Giaccari, U.; Giammarchi, M.; Giller, M.; Glombitza, J.; Gobbi, F.; Golup, G.; Gómez Berisso, M.; Gómez Vitale, P. F.; Gongora, J. P.; González, N.; Goos, I.; Góra, D.; Gorgi, A.; Gottowik, M.; Grubb, T. D.; Guarino, F.; Guedes, G. P.; Guido, E.; Hahn, S.; Halliday, R.; Hampel, M. R.; Hansen, P.; Harari, D.; Harvey, V. M.; Haungs, A.; Hebbeker, T.; Heck, D.; Hill, G. C.; Hojvat, C.; Hörandel, J. R.; Horvath, P.; Hrabovský, M.; Huege, T.; Hulsman, J.; Insolia, A.; Isar, P. G.; Johnsen, J. A.; Jurysek, J.; Kääpä, A.; Kampert, K. H.; Keilhauer, B.; Kemp, J.; Klages, H. O.; Kleifges, M.; Kleinfeller, J.; Köpke, M.; Kukec Mezek, G.; Lago, B. L.; LaHurd, D.; Lang, R. G.; Leigui de Oliveira, M. A.; Lenok, V.; Letessier-Selvon, A.; Lhenry-Yvon, I.; Lo Presti, D.; Lopes, L.; López, R.; López Casado, A.; Lorek, R.; Luce, Q.; Lucero, A.; Machado Payeras, A.; Malacari, M.; Mancarella, G.; Mandat, D.; Manning, B. C.; Manshanden, J.; Mantsch, P.; Mariazzi, A. G.; Mariş, I. C.; Marsella, G.; Martello, D.; Martinez, H.; Martínez Bravo, O.; Mastrodicasa, M.; Mathes, H. J.; Matthews, J.; Matthiae, G.; Mayotte, E.; Mazur, P. O.; Medina-Tanco, G.; Melo, D.; Menshikov, A.; Merenda, K. -D.; Michal, S.; Micheletti, M. I.; Miramonti, L.; Mockler, D.; Mollerach, S.; Montanet, F.; Morello, C.; Mostafá, M.; Müller, A. L.; Muller, M. A.; Müller, S.; Mussa, R.; Muzio, M.; Namasaka, W. M.; Nellen, L.; Niculescu-Oglinzanu, M.; Niechciol, M.; Nitz, D.; Nosek, D.; Novotny, V.; Nožka, L.; Nucita, A.; Núñez, L. A.; Palatka, M.; Pallotta, J.; Panetta, M. P.; Papenbreer, P.; Parente, G.; Parra, A.; Pech, M.; Pedreira, F.; Pȩkala, J.; Pelayo, R.; Peña-Rodriguez, J.; Perez Armand, J.; Perlin, M.; Perrone, L.; Peters, C.; Petrera, S.; Pierog, T.; Pimenta, M.; Pirronello, V.; Platino, M.; Pont, B.; Pothast, M.; Privitera, P.; Prouza, M.; Puyleart, A.; Querchfeld, S.; Rautenberg, J.; Ravignani, D.; Reininghaus, M.; Ridky, J.; Riehn, F.; Risse, M.; Ristori, P.; Rizi, V.; Rodrigues de Carvalho, W.; Rodriguez Rojo, J.; Roncoroni, M. J.; Roth, M.; Roulet, E.; Rovero, A. C.; Ruehl, P.; Saffi, S. J.; Saftoiu, A.; Salamida, F.; Salazar, H.; Salina, G.; Sanabria Gomez, J. D.; Sánchez, F.; Santos, E. M.; Santos, E.; Sarazin, F.; Sarmento, R.; Sarmiento-Cano, C.; Sato, R.; Savina, P.; Schäfer, C.; Scherini, V.; Schieler, H.; Schimassek, M.; Schimp, M.; Schlüter, F.; Schmidt, D.; Scholten, O.; Schovánek, P.; Schröder, F. G.; Schröder, S.; Sciutto, S. J.; Scornavacche, M.; Shellard, R. C.; Sigl, G.; Silli, G.; Sima, O.; Šmída, R.; Sommers, P.; Soriano, J. F.; Souchard, J.; Squartini, R.; Stadelmaier, M.; Stanca, D.; Stanič, S.; Stasielak, J.; Stassi, P.; Streich, A.; Suárez-Durán, M.; Sudholz, T.; Suomijärvi, T.; Supanitsky, A. D.; Šupík, J.; Szadkowski, Z.; Taboada, A.; Taborda, O. A.; Tapia, A.; Timmermans, C.; Tobiska, P.; Todero Peixoto, C. J.; Tomé, B.; Torralba Elipe, G.; Travaini, A.; Travnicek, P.; Trimarelli, C.; Trini, M.; Tueros, M.; Ulrich, R.; Unger, M.; Urban, M.; Vaclavek, L.; Valdés Galicia, J. F.; Valiño, I.; Valore, L.; van Vliet, A.; Varela, E.; Vargas Cárdenas, B.; Vásquez-Ramírez, A.; Veberič, D.; Ventura, C.; Vergara Quispe, I. D.; Verzi, V.; Vicha, J.; Villaseñor, L.; Vink, J.; Vorobiov, S.; Wahlberg, H.; Watson, A. A.; Weber, M.; Weindl, A.; Wiencke, L.; Wilczyński, H.; Winchen, T.; Wirtz, M.; Wittkowski, D.; Wundheiler, B.; Yushkov, A.; Zapparrata, O.; Zas, E.; Zavrtanik, D.; Zavrtanik, M.; Zehrer, L.; Zepeda, A.; Ziolkowski, M.; Zuccarello, F.

doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-8055-y

Direct measurement of the muonic content of extensive air showers between 2 $$\times$$ 10¹⁷ and 2 $$\times$$ 10¹⁸ eV at the Pierre Auger Observatory

Journal Article · Tue Aug 18 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · European Physical Journal. C, Particles and Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-8055-y· OSTI ID:1682290

Aab, A.; Abreu, P.; Aglietta, M.; Albury, J. M.; Allekotte, I.; Almela, A.; Alvarez Castillo, J.; Alvarez-Muñiz, J.; Anastasi, G. A.; Anchordoqui, L.; Andrada, B.; Andringa, S.; Aramo, C.; Araújo Ferreira, P. R.; Asorey, H.; Assis, P.; Avila, G.; Badescu, A. M.; Bakalova, A.; Balaceanu, A. more »

The hybrid design of the Pierre Auger Observatory allows for the measurement of the properties of extensive air showers initiated by ultra-high energy cosmic rays with unprecedented precision. By using an array of prototype underground muon detectors, we have performed the first direct measurement, by the Auger Collaboration, of the muon content of air showers between 2 $$\times$$ 10¹⁷ and 2 $$\times$$ 10¹⁸ eV. We have studied the energy evolution of the attenuation-corrected muon density, and compared it to predictions from air shower simulations. The observed densities are found to be larger than those predicted by models. We quantify this discrepancy by combining the measurements from the muon detector with those from the Auger fluorescence detector at 10^17.5 eV and 10¹⁸ eV. We find that, for the models to explain the data, an increase in the muon density of 38% $$±$$4%(12%) $$±^{21\%}_{18\%}$$ for EPOS-LHC, and of 50%(53%) $$±$$4%(13%) $$±^{23\%}_{20\%}$$ for QGSJETII-04, is respectively needed.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP) (SC-25)

Contributing Organization:: The Pierre Auger Collaboration

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-07CH11359; FG02-04ER41300; FG02-99ER41107; SC0011689

OSTI ID:: 1682290

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 22976060

Report Number(s):: FERMILAB-PUB--20-548-ND-PPD-TD; oai:inspirehep.net:1812658

Journal Information:: European Physical Journal. C, Particles and Fields, Journal Name: European Physical Journal. C, Particles and Fields Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 80; ISSN 1434-6044

Publisher:: SpringerCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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