Muons In Extensive Air Showers Research Articles

The arrival time distribution of muons in extensive air showers

The time spread of muons within EAS has been determined by measuring the time of arrival of individual muons with respect to the extreme shower front with an accuracy of +or-10 ns. The integral time distributions averaged over a group of showers are presented as a function of shower parameters. For near vertical showers it is found that the 10%-90% time spread of muons increases from about 100 ns at an EAS core distance of 150 m to about 160 ns at 450 m. These results are shown to be in reasonable agreement with predictions based on model calculations.

The mean lateral density distribution of muons in extensive air showers detected at Haverah Park

Presents the results and conclusions from an experiment carried out between 1969 and 1973 at the Haverah Park cosmic ray extensive air shower detector array near Harrogate, Yorkshire. The detector consisted of 12m2 of shielded neon flash tubes sensitive to muons of energy greater than 300 sec theta MeV. The detector was situated at the centre of the EAS array and its response to showers of primary energy 1017 eV<or approximately=Ep<or approximately=1019 eV, with zenith angles up to 60 degrees has been studied. The analysis has been restricted to those showers in which the distance (R) from the core of the shower to the detector was in the interval 100<R<1000 m. The results are compared with model calculations and a number of conclusions drawn.

Some problems in the interpretation of underground cosmic-ray data

Further data from observations made in a coal-mine are reported. The 20% discrepancy between the intensity at moderate depths underground and that deduced from the sea-level muon spectrum, already indicated by other work, has been confirmed. The possibilities of modifying the spectrum or the ionization-loss expression are discussed.Observations of the angular distribution strengthen the view that the exponent is rather higher than expected. This appears to imply that the K/π ratio must be quite high for muons of a few hundred GeV.The various reports of pairs and groups of muons at different depths underground are reviewed. Regarded as a cosmic-ray component muon pairs are less strongly attenuated underground than any other phenomenon (except neutrinos). The experimental results are discussed in terms of Greisen's semiempirical expression for the intensity of muons in extensive air showers.

The charge ratio of muons in extensive air showers

The most probable height of production of muons of prescribed momenta is determined from their deflections in the geomagnetic field and is found to be in agreement with the predictions of recent EAS models. A large positive excess is found for the muons which are secondary to particles having high transverse momenta.