Cosmic ray measurement and experimental temperature analysis with a muon detector

Abstract

The Basic Atomic Energy Research Institute (BAERI) of Hanyang University in Korea constructed and operates a cosmic ray detection system. In this study, a muon detector composed of a plastic scintillator and a wavelength shifter was used to obtain data over a total of six experimental periods. Using the collected data, we analyzed the response dependence of the developed muon detector on the laboratory’s environmental temperature. The detection results showed a correlation coefficient of over 0.7, as well as a negative proportional correlation in the experiments in which the thermostat did not operate. We performed a correction for the laboratory’s environmental temperature and analyzed the correlation between the muon count rate and the atmospheric pressure. As a result, we obtained a barometric coefficient of −0.1191 ± 0.0054%/hPa. The analyzed data were compared with data from the eighteen NM64 type neutron monitors at our station. The correlation coefficient between the two detection systems was approximately 0.8046, confirming that the response changes were roughly identical to response of neutron monitors.