The response of a liquid scintillation counter to extensive air showers of low density

Abstract

A large area liquid scintillation counter suitable for experiments on extensive cosmic ray air showers is described. Pulse height distributions are given for vertically incident penetrating particles, the sea level cosmic ray flux and air shower particles. It is found that the scintillator is a more sensitive detector of the particles in cosmic ray air showers than is a tray of Geiger counters of the same area. The greater sensitivity of the scintillator is explained in terms of its greater detection efficiency for the low energy γ-rays present in an air shower. It is found that a value of 2.1 for the ratio of the density of γ-rays (as detected by the scintillator) to the density of electrons (as detected by the Geiger counter) is required to account for the increased sensitivity of the scintillation counter.