Sensitivity of Pamir emulsion chamber data to test high-energy hadronic interaction models

Abstract

Emulsion experiments placed at high mountain altitudes register hadrons and high energy γ-rays with an energy threshold in the TeV region. These secondary shower particles are produced in the forward direction of interactions of mainly primary protons and alpha particles in the Earth's atmosphere. Therefore the measurements are sensitive to the physics of high-energy hadronic interaction models, e.g. as implemented in the Monte-Carlo air shower simulation program CORSIKA. Including detailed simulations for the Pamir detector the measured observables are compared with predictions from various hadronic interaction models which leads to the exclusion of some of the current models. In this context, general problems of the measurement technique by emulsion chambers like the large intrinsic shower fluctuations are discussed.