The role of hyperons in extensive air showers and in other high-energy phenomena

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1962 · Nuovo Cimento

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02733544· OSTI ID:4796269

Peters, B.

Experimental results obtained at the Geneva proton synchrotron support the hynothesis that in high energy nuclear collisions, the particle which carries away most of the energy is often a hyperon. In proton collisions at 25 Bev, this occurs in about 20% of the cases. The fraction of hyperons appears to increase further with increasing proton energy and probably reaches a value close to 50% for energies above ~ 1000 Bev, It is shown that in the atmosphere, most pi , mu V, and gamma at a few times 10/sup 11/ to about 10¹⁴ ev are due to hyperon decay rather than direct pion production and that a large fraction of the primary energy appearing in the electron-photon component is transmitted through this process. The presence of hyperons in the nuclear cascade in the core of air showers gives rise to characteristic phenomena, both in the atmosphere and underground. Since hyperon decays result in a large excess of negative mesons, charge determinations on mu underground may give information on the relative yield of nucleons, nuclear isobars, and of strangeness-one and strangeness-two hyperons at high energies. The simultaneous arrival of two or more mu at great ground depths signals the arrival and interaction of a complex primary nucleus at the top of the atmosphere.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Copenhagen
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• NSA Number: NSA-16-015555
• OSTI ID: 4796269
• Journal Information: Nuovo Cimento, Journal Name: Nuovo Cimento Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 23; ISSN 0029-6341
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AIR
CASCADES
DECAY
EARTH
ENERGY RANGE
GEV RANGE
HYPERONS
INTERACTIONS
ISOBARS
LEVELS
MUONS
NUCLEI
NUCLEONS
PHOTONS
PHYSICS
PIONS
PROTONS
SCATTERING
SHOWERS
SYNCHROTRONS