COMPARING THE ENERGY SPECTRA OF ULTRAHIGH ENERGY COSMIC RAYS MEASURED WITH EXTENSIVE AIR SHOWER ARRAYS
- Shafer Institute for Cosmophysical Research and Aeronomy, 31 Lenin Avenue, Yakutsk 677980 (Russian Federation)
The energy spectra of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (CRs) measured with giant extensive air shower (EAS) arrays exhibit discrepancies between the flux intensities and/or estimated CR energies exceeding experimental errors. The well-known intensity correction factor due to the dispersion of the measured quantity in the presence of a rapidly falling energy spectrum is insufficient to explain the divergence. Another source of systematic energy determination error is proposed concerning the charged particle density measured with the surface arrays, which arises due to simplifications (namely, the superposition approximation) in nucleus-nucleus interaction description applied to the shower modeling. Making use of the essential correction factors results in congruous CR energy spectra within experimental errors. Residual differences in the energy scales of giant arrays can be attributed to the actual overall accuracy of the EAS detection technique used. CR acceleration and propagation model simulations using the dip and ankle scenarios of the transition from galactic to extragalactic CR components are in agreement with the combined energy spectrum observed with EAS arrays.
- OSTI ID:
- 21394234
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 712, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/712/1/746; ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ACCELERATION
CHARGED PARTICLES
DATA ANALYSIS
ENERGY SPECTRA
EXTENSIVE AIR SHOWERS
NUCLEON-NUCLEON INTERACTIONS
SIMULATION
BARYON-BARYON INTERACTIONS
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMIC SHOWERS
HADRON-HADRON INTERACTIONS
INTERACTIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
RADIATIONS
SECONDARY COSMIC RADIATION
SHOWERS
SPECTRA