36 research outputs found
The structure of EAS at E 0.1 EeV
The ratio of extensive air showers (EAS) total shower energy in the electromagnetic channel (E em) to the size of the shower at maximum development (N max) from a direct measurement of shower longitudinal development using the air fluorescence technique was calculated. The values are not inconsistent with values based upon track length integrals of the Gaisser-Hillas formula for shower development or the known relation between shower energy and size at maximum for pure electromagnetic cascades. Using Linsley's estimates for undetected shower energy based on an analysis of a wide variety of cosmic ray data, the following relation for total shower energy E vs N max is obtained. The Gaisser Hillas implied undetected shower energy fractions
Limits on deeply penetrating particles in the 10(17) eV cosmic ray flux
Deeply penetrating particles in the 10 to the 17th power eV cosmic ray flux were investigated. No such events were found in 8.2 x 10 to the 6th power sec of running time. Limits were set on the following: quark-matter in the primary cosmic ray flux; long-lived, weakly interacting particles produced in p-air collisions; the astrophysical neutrino flux. In particular, the neutrino flux limit at 10 to the 17th power eV implies that z, the red shift of maximum activity is 10 in the model of Hill and Schramm
500 TeV gamma rays from Hercules X-1
A signal (chance probability = .0002) with the 1.24 s period of Hercules X-1 has been observed using the Utah Fly's Eye. The signal's relatively long period and high shower energy conflict with some popular models of particle acceleration by pulsars. Optical and X-ray data suggest a picture in which energetic particles produce multi-TeV gamma rays by collisions with Hercules X-1's accretion disk
All sky Northern Hemisphere 10(15) EV gamma-ray survey
Flux limits in the range 10 to the minus 13th power-10 to the minus 12 power/sq cm/s have been obtained by observing Cerenkov flashes from small air showers. During 1983, a 3.5 sigma excess of showers was observed during the phase interval 0.2 to 0.3 of the 4.8h period of Cygnus X-3, but no excess was found in 1984 observations
Proton-air inelastic cross section at S(1/2) = 30 TeV
The distribution of the maxima of high energy cosmic ray induced extensive air showers in the atmosphere was measured as a function of atmospheric depth. From the exponential tail of this distribution, it was determined that the proton-air inelastic cross section at 30 TeV center-of-mass energy to be 540 + or - 40mb
Energy calibration of the fly's eye detector
The methods used to calibrate the Fly's eye detector to evaluate the energy of EAS are discussed. The energy of extensive air showers (EAS) as seen by the Fly's Eye detector are obtained from track length integrals of observed shower development curves. The energy of the parent cosmic ray primary is estimated by applying corrections to account for undetected energy in the muon, neutrino and hadronic channels. Absolute values for E depend upon the measurement of shower sizes N sub e(x). The following items are necessary to convert apparent optical brightness into intrinsical optical brightness: (1) an assessment of those factors responsible for light production by the relativistic electrons in an EAS and the transmission of light thru the atmosphere, (2) calibration of the optical detection system, and (3) a knowledge of the trajectory of the shower
Study of composition of cosmic rays with energy .7 E 3 Ee
The longitudinal shower development of extensive air showers (EAS) observed in the fly's eye is used to determine the distribution of X sub max, the depth in the atmosphere of the EAS maximum. Data and Monte Carlo simulations of proton and iron primaries are compared. A substantial contribution from light primaries is noted
Arrival directions of cosmic rays of E .4 EeV
The anisotropy of cosmic rays observed by the Utah Fly's Eye detector has been studied. Emphasis has been placed on examining distributions of events in galactic coordinates. No statistically significant departure from isotropy has been observed for energies greater than 0.4 EeV (1 EeV = 10 to the 18th power eV). Results of the standard harmonic analysis in right ascension are also presented
The East-West method: an exposure-independent method to search for large scale anisotropies of cosmic rays
The measurement of large scale anisotropies in cosmic ray arrival directions
at energies above 10^13 eV is performed through the detection of Extensive Air
Showers produced by cosmic ray interactions in the atmosphere. The observed
anisotropies are small, so accurate measurements require small statistical
uncertainties, i.e. large datasets. These can be obtained by employing ground
detector arrays with large extensions (from 10^4 to 10^9 m^2) and long
operation time (up to 20 years). The control of such arrays is challenging and
spurious variations in the counting rate due to instrumental effects (e.g. data
taking interruptions or changes in the acceptance) and atmospheric effects
(e.g. air temperature and pressure effects on EAS development) are usually
present. These modulations must be corrected very precisely before performing
standard anisotropy analyses, i.e. harmonic analysis of the counting rate
versus local sidereal time. In this paper we discuss an alternative method to
measure large scale anisotropies, the "East-West method", originally proposed
by Nagashima in 1989. It is a differential method, as it is based on the
analysis of the difference of the counting rates in the East and West
directions. Besides explaining the principle, we present here its mathematical
derivation, showing that the method is largely independent of experimental
effects, that is, it does not require corrections for acceptance and/or for
atmospheric effects. We explain the use of the method to derive the amplitude
and phase of the anisotropy and we demonstrate its power under different
conditions of detector operation