Experimental search for a time-modulated muon flux from the direction of Cygnus X-3

Thesis/Dissertation · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6896501

Worstell, W A

Two underground experiments have recently reported detection of an anomalously large muon flux from the direction of the binary X-ray source cygnus X-3, with the 4.8-hour period characteristic of this source. A muon flux of the claimed magnitude, combined with constraints from surface observations, is inconsistent with the production of these muons by photons from Cygnus X-3 in normal air showers. This flux would require either unexpected photon interactions at very high energy (>5 TeV)( or a new type of neutral particle in the flux from Cygnus X-3. This thesis documents measurements with the HPW (Harvard-Purdue-Wisconsin) large underground water Cerenkov detector which do not confirm the claimed muon flux. The author places an upper limit on the flux of time-modulated muons from the direction of Cygnus X-3 of 5 x 10/sup -11/ muons-cm/sup -2/sec/sup -1/ at a vertical depth of 1450 MWE meters of water equivalent, with 90% confidence. This upper limit may be compared with the flux of 7 x 10/sup -11/ muons-cm/sup 2/sec/sup -1/ at a vertical depth of 1800 MWE which was claimed by another experiment. The HPW measurements are consistent with no anomalous muon flux from Cygnus X-3.

• Research Organization: Harvard Univ., Boston, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6896501
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMIC X-RAY SOURCES
RADIATION FLUX
CHERENKOV COUNTERS
COSMIC MUONS
COSMIC SHOWERS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GAMMA RADIATION
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMIC RAY SOURCES
DATA
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
INFORMATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LEPTONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MUONS
NUMERICAL DATA
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATIONS
SECONDARY COSMIC RADIATION
SHOWERS
640101* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Cosmic Radiation
640102 - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources