New method to measure the attenuation of hadrons in extensive air showers

Journal Article · Wed Jul 15 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.80.022002· OSTI ID:21316174

Apel, W D; Badea, F; Bekk, K; Bozdog, H; Daumiller, K; Doll, P; Engel, R; Engler, J; Finger, M; Gils, H J; Haungs, A; Heck, D; Huege, T; Isar, P G; Klages, H O; Mathes, H J; Mayer, H J; Milke, J; Nehls, S; Oehlschlaeger, J ^[1]

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1. Institut fuer Kernphysik, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany)

Extensive air showers are generated through interactions of high-energy cosmic rays impinging the Earth's atmosphere. A new method is described to infer the attenuation of hadrons in air showers. The numbers of electrons and muons, registered with the scintillator array of the KASCADE experiment, are used to estimate the energy of the shower inducing primary particle. A large hadron calorimeter is used to measure the hadronic energy reaching observation level. The ratio of energy reaching ground level to the energy of the primary particle is used to derive an attenuation length of hadrons in air showers. In the energy range from 10{sup 6} to 3x10{sup 7} GeV the attenuation length obtained increases from 170 to 210 g/cm{sup 2}. The experimental results are compared to predictions of simulations based on contemporary high-energy interaction models.

• OSTI ID: 21316174
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 80; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ATTENUATION
CALORIMETERS
COSMIC RADIATION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRONS
EXTENSIVE AIR SHOWERS
FORECASTING
GROUND LEVEL
HADRONS
INTERACTIONS
MUONS
PEV RANGE
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SIMULATION