Air shower observation between 5200m and 3260m altitude

Journal Article · Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1958 · Nuovo Cimento

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02962590· OSTI ID:4317035

Sitte, Kurt ^[1]; Kofsky, Irving L. ^[2]; Stierwalt, Don L. ^[3]; Lehrer, Susanna ^[4]; Tausk, Klaus ^[5]; Wataghin, Andrea ^[6]

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1. Syracuse Univ., NY (United States); Univ. of Sao Paulo (Brazil); Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa (Israel)
2. Smith College, Northampton, MA (United States)
3. Syracuse Univ., NY (United States)
4. Univ. of Sao Paulo (Brazil); Technical Operations Inc., Arlington, MA (United States)
5. Univ. of Sao Paulo (Brazil); The University, Manchester (United Kingdom)
6. Univ. of Sao Paulo (Brazil); Univ. of Bristol (United Kingdom)

In a study of the development of extensive air showers in the atmosphere, a hodoscope experiment was carried out at three mountain stations: Chacaltaya (5,200m), Mt. Evans (4,300m), and Echo Lake (3,260m). Six trays containing a total of 80 counters were used to determine the size and the lateral distribution of the showers. Four other trays with 54 counters and four liquid scintillators served to measure the transition effect of the shower electrons in lead, and thus to determine the age of the showers. The events could then be grouped and analyzed according to both age and size. The lateral distribution of showers of different age (as determined from the transition effect), both near the core and at larger distances, showed very little variation with altitude and with age. Near the core it is flatter than outside, and the flattening extends at all altitudes over an equal distance. Apparently this phenomenon is due to the continuous effect of the nucleonic component. The attenuation of the shower rate, at fixed geometry, is practically constant between 5,200 and 3,260m, the attenuation mean free path between Mt. Evans and Chacaltaya for the youngest showers being (155±12) g/cm² against an average of about 140 g/cm². The attenuation of the particle numbers in showers of equal frequency was over the whole range exponential with a mean free path of about 125 g/cm². The interaction mean free path of the shower primaries, determined from a comparison of the rates of showers of equal size and age at the three stations, was (87±7) g/cm². This suggests that the shower primaries, in the energy region concerned (about 10¹⁵ ev), are predominantly protons.

• Research Organization: Syracuse Univ., NY (United States). NY Research Institute
• Sponsoring Organization: US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• NSA Number: NSA-13-002273
• OSTI ID: 4317035
• Report Number(s): NYO-6562; PHY-90-577F
• Journal Information: Nuovo Cimento, Journal Name: Nuovo Cimento Journal Issue: S2 Vol. 8; ISSN 0029-6341
• Publisher: Societa italiana di fisica
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ABSORPTION
AIR
ATMOSPHERE
CONFIGURATION
COSMIC RADIATION
COUNTERS
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRONS
ENERGY
HODOSCOPE
INTERACTIONS
LATERAL DISTRIBUTION
LEAD
LIFETIME
LIQUIDS
MEASURED VALUES
PHOSPHORS
PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS
PROTONS
SCATTERING
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SHOWERS