Abstract
In the course of its operation, the Volcano Ranch array collected data on the lateral distribution of showers produced by cosmic rays at energies above 10 17 eV. From these data very precise measurements of the steepness of the lateral distribution function, characterized by the η parameter, were made. The current availability of sophisticated hadronic interaction models has prompted a reinterpretation of the measurements. We use the interaction models QGSJET and SIBYLL in the AIRES Monte Carlo code to generate showers together with GEANT4 to simulate the response of the detectors to ground particles. As part of an effort to estimate the primary mass composition of cosmic rays at this energy range, we present the results of our preliminary analysis of the distribution of η.
Highlights
The Volcano Ranch array [1] collected data on the lateral distribution of air showers produced by cosmic rays of energies above 1017 eV
Our analysis of precise Volcano Ranch measurements of η is the first analysis of Volcano Ranch data using modern Monte Carlo tools
The pioneering Volcano Ranch array was an array of scintillation counters in operation from 1959-1974 at the MIT Volcano Ranch station located near Albuquerque, New Mexico
Summary
The Volcano Ranch array [1] collected data on the lateral distribution of air showers produced by cosmic rays of energies above 1017 eV. This lateral distribution is parameterized by a so-called lateral distribution function. To simulate the development of the air shower we use the aires [2] code (version 2.4.0), which contains the hadronic interaction generators qgsjet98 [3] and sibyll2.1 [4]. The results of these simulations are convolved with a simulation of the detector response carried out using geant4 [5]
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