655 research outputs found
Primary Particle Type of the Most Energetic Fly's Eye Air Shower
The longitudinal profile of the most energetic cosmic-ray air shower measured
so far, the event recorded by the Fly's Eye detector with a reconstructed
primary energy of about 320 EeV, is compared to simulated shower profiles. The
calculations are performed with the CORSIKA code and include primary photons
and different hadron primaries. For primary photons, preshower formation in the
geomagnetic field is additionally treated in detail. For primary hadrons, the
hadronic interaction models QGSJET01 and SIBYLL2.1 have been employed. The
predicted longitudinal profiles are compared to the observation. A method for
testing the hypothesis of a specific primary particle type against the measured
profile is described which naturally takes shower fluctuations into account.
The Fly's Eye event is compatible with any assumption of a hadron primary
between proton and iron nuclei in both interaction models, although differences
between QGSJET01 and SIBYLL2.1 in the predicted profiles of lighter nuclei
exist. The primary photon profiles differ from the data on a level of ~1.5
sigma. Although not favoured by the observation, the primary photon hypothesis
can not be rejected for this particular event.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures; v2 matches version accepted by Astroparticle
Physic
Neutron clock as a friction-meter
Fast-fission reactions in collisions of four heavy systems (well below the fusion extra-push energy threshold), for which Hinde and coworkers had measured the prescission neutron multiplicities, have been analysed in terms of the deterministic dynamic model of Feldmeier coupled to a time-dependent statistical cascade calculation. In order to reproduce the measured prescission multiplicities and the observed (nearly symmetric) mass divisions, the energy dissipation must be dramatically changed with regard to the standard one-body dissipation: In the entrance channel, in the process of forming a composite system, the energy dissipation must be reduced to at least half of the one-body dissipation strength (k(s)(in) less than or equal to 0.5), and in the exit channel (from a mononucleus shape to scission) it must be increased to about 10 times that value (k(s)(out) approximate to 10)
Atmospheric Profiles at the Southern Pierre Auger Observatory and their Relevance to Air Shower Measurement
The dependence of atmospheric conditions on altitude and time have to be
known at the site of an air shower experiment for accurate reconstruction of
extensive air showers and their simulations. The height-profile of atmospheric
depth is of particular interest as it enters directly into the reconstruction
of longitudinal shower development and of the primary energy and mass of cosmic
rays. For the southern part of the Auger Observatory, the atmosphere has been
investigated in a number of campaigns with meteorological radio soundings and
with continuous measurements of ground-based weather stations. Focussing on
atmospheric depth and temperature profiles, temporal variations are described
and monthly profiles are developed. Uncertainties of the monthly atmospheres
that are currently applied in the Auger reconstruction are discussed.Comment: To be published in Proceedings of 29th International Cosmic Ray
Conference (ICRC) 2005, Pune, Indi
Further search for a neutral boson with a mass around 9 MeV/c2
Two dedicated experiments on internal pair conversion (IPC) of isoscalar M1
transitions were carried out in order to test a 9 MeV/c2 X-boson scenario. In
the 7Li(p,e+e-)8Be reaction at 1.1 MeV proton energy to the predominantly T=0
level at 18.15 MeV, a significant deviation from IPC was observed at large pair
correlation angles. In the 11B(d,n e+e-)12C reaction at 1.6 MeV, leading to the
12.71 MeV 1+ level with pure T=0 character, an anomaly was observed at 9
MeV/c2. The compatibility of the results with the scenario is discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, 2 table
First Experimental Characterization of Microwave Emission from Cosmic Ray Air Showers
We report the first direct measurement of the overall characteristics of
microwave radio emission from extensive air showers. Using a trigger provided
by the KASCADE-Grande air shower array, the signals of the microwave antennas
of the CROME (Cosmic-Ray Observation via Microwave Emission) experiment have
been read out and searched for signatures of radio emission by high-energy air
showers in the GHz frequency range. Microwave signals have been detected for
more than 30 showers with energies above 3*10^16 eV. The observations presented
in this Letter are consistent with a mainly forward-directed and polarised
emission process in the GHz frequency range. The measurements show that
microwave radiation offers a new means of studying air showers at energies
above 10^17 eV.Comment: Accepted for publication in PR
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