Abstract
At the surface of the earth, the cosmic ray beam consists of hadronic, electromagnetic and leptonic components of varying energies, covering a wide band of energies. As one proceeds to great depths underground, the earth, acting as an absorber, filters out completely the hadronic and electromagnetic components. What is left are the weakly interacting leptonic particles, i.e., those that are muon-like and neutrino-like in character; charged particles can reach down to these depths only if they are weakly interacting and also massive — as heavy as or heavier than the muons. At present, the only known particles in this category are the muons. Any hadronic and electromagnetic components at great depths underground are of secondary (local) origin, being the result of the interactions of the leptonic component in the surrounding earth.
Published Version
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