76 research outputs found
The neutron 'thunder' accompanying the extensive air shower
Simulations show that neutrons are the most abundant component among
extensive air shower hadrons. However, multiple neutrons which appear with long
delays in neutron monitors nearby the EAS core ('neutron thunder') are mostly
not the neutrons of the shower, but have a secondary origin. The bulk of them
is produced by high energy EAS hadrons hitting the monitors. The delays are due
to the termalization and diffusion of neutrons in the moderator and reflector
of the monitor accompanied by the production of secondary gamma-quanta. This
conclusion raises the important problem of the interaction of EAS with the
ground, the stuff of the detectors and their environment since they have often
hydrogen containing materials like polyethilene in neutron monitors. Such
interaction can give an additional contribution to the signal in the EAS
detectors. It can be particularly important for the signals from scintillator
or water tank detectors at km-long distances from the EAS core where neutrons
of the shower become the dominant component after a few mcsec behind the EAS
front.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, accepted by J.Phys.G: Nucl.Part.Phy
Decrease of atmospheric neutron counts observed during thunderstorms.
We report here, in brief, some results of the observation and analysis of sporadic variations of atmospheric thermal neutron flux during thunderstorms. The results obtained with unshielded scintillation neutron detectors show a prominent flux decrease correlated with meteorological precipitations after a long dry period. No observations of neutron production during thunderstorms were reported during the three-year period of data recording
The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) Science White Paper
The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) project is a new
generation multi-component instrument, to be built at 4410 meters of altitude
in the Sichuan province of China, with the aim to study with unprecedented
sensitivity the spec trum, the composition and the anisotropy of cosmic rays in
the energy range between 10 and 10 eV, as well as to act
simultaneously as a wide aperture (one stereoradiant), continuously-operated
gamma ray telescope in the energy range between 10 and eV. The
experiment will be able of continuously surveying the TeV sky for steady and
transient sources from 100 GeV to 1 PeV, t hus opening for the first time the
100-1000 TeV range to the direct observations of the high energy cosmic ray
sources. In addition, the different observables (electronic, muonic and
Cherenkov/fluorescence components) that will be measured in LHAASO will allow
to investigate origin, acceleration and propagation of the radiation through a
measurement of energy spec trum, elemental composition and anisotropy with
unprecedented resolution. The remarkable sensitivity of LHAASO in cosmic rays
physics and gamma astronomy would play a key-role in the comprehensive general
program to explore the High Energy Universe. LHAASO will allow important
studies of fundamental physics (such as indirect dark matter search, Lorentz
invariance violation, quantum gravity) and solar and heliospheric physics. In
this document we introduce the concept of LHAASO and the main science goals,
providing an overview of the project.Comment: This document is a collaborative effort, 185 pages, 110 figure
Construction and On-site Performance of the LHAASO WFCTA Camera
The focal plane camera is the core component of the Wide Field-of-view
Cherenkov/fluorescence Telescope Array (WFCTA) of the Large High-Altitude Air
Shower Observatory (LHAASO). Because of the capability of working under
moonlight without aging, silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) have been proven to be
not only an alternative but also an improvement to conventional photomultiplier
tubes (PMT) in this application. Eighteen SiPM-based cameras with square light
funnels have been built for WFCTA. The telescopes have collected more than 100
million cosmic ray events and preliminary results indicate that these cameras
are capable of working under moonlight. The characteristics of the light
funnels and SiPMs pose challenges (e.g. dynamic range, dark count rate,
assembly techniques). In this paper, we present the design features,
manufacturing techniques and performances of these cameras. Finally, the test
facilities, the test methods and results of SiPMs in the cameras are reported
here.Comment: 45 pages, 21 figures, articl
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