STUDY OF THE PRIMARY COSMIC-RAY COMPOSITION AROUND THE KNEE OF THE ENERGY-SPECTRUM

Authors
AGLIETTA M ALESSANDRO B ANTONIOLI P ARNEODO F BERGAMASCO L BERTAINA M FAUTH AC CASTAGNOLI C CASTELLINA A CATTADORI C CHIAVASSA A CINI G PIAZZOLI BD DISCIASCIO G FULGIONE W GALEOTTI P GHIA PL IACOVACCI M MANNOCCHI G MELAGRANA C MORELLO C NAVARRA G RICCATI L SAAVEDRA O TRINCHERO GC VALLANIA P VERNETTO S AHLEN S AMBROSIO M ANTOLINI R AURIEMMA G BAKER R BALDINI A BARBARINO GC BARISH BC BATTISTONI G BELLOTTI R BEMPORAD C BERNARDINI P BILOKON H BISI V BLOISE C BOWER C BUSSINO S CAFAGNA F CALICCHIO M CAMPANA D CARBONI M CECCHINI S CEI F CHIARELLA V CORMACK R CORONA A COUTU S DECATALDO G DEKHISSI H DEMARZO C DEMITRI L DEVINCENZI M DICREDICO A DIEHL E ERRIQUEZ O FAVUZZI C FICENEC D FORTI C FUSCO P GIACOMELLI G GIANNINI G GIGLIETTO N GORETTI M GRASSI M GREEN P GRILLO A GUARINO F GUARNACCIA P GUSTAVINO C HABIG A HANSON K HEINZ R HONG JT IAROCCI E KATSAVOUNIDIS E KEARNS E KLEIN S KYRIAZOPOULOU S LAMANNA E LANE C LEVIN DS LIPARI P LIU G LIU R LONGO MJ LU Y LUDLAM G MANCARELLA G MANDRIOLI G MARGIOTTANERI A MARIN A MARINI A MARTELLO D CHIESA AM MATTEUZZI P MAZZIOTTA MN MICHAEL DG MIKHEYEV S MILLER L MITTELBRUN M MONACELLI P MONTARULI T MONTENO M MUFSON S MUSSER J NICOLO D NOLTY R NUTTER S OKADA C OSTERIA G PALAMARA O PARLATI S PATERA V PATRIZII L PAVESI B PAZZI R PECK CW PETRAKIS J PETRERA S PIGNATANO ND PISTILLI P RAINO A REYNOLDSON J RONGA F SANZANI G SANZGIRI A SARTOGO F SATRIANO C SATTA L SCAPPARONE E SCHOLBERG K SCIUBBA A LUGARESI PS SEVERI M SITTA M SPINELLI P SPINETTI M SPURIO M STEELE J STEINBERG R STONE JL SULAK LR SURDO A TARLE G TOGO V VALENTE V WALTER CW WEBB R WORSTELL W
Citation
M. Aglietta et al., STUDY OF THE PRIMARY COSMIC-RAY COMPOSITION AROUND THE KNEE OF THE ENERGY-SPECTRUM, Physics letters. Section B, 337(3-4), 1994, pp. 376-382
Citations number
23
Categorie Soggetti
Physics
Journal title
Physics letters. Section B → ACNP
ISSN journal
03702693
Volume
337
Issue
3-4
Year of publication
1994
Pages
376 - 382
Database
ISI
SICI code
0370-2693(1994)337:3-4<376:SOTPCC>2.0.ZU;2-R
Abstract
A study of the primary cosmic ray composition in the energy range 5.10 (14)-5.10(15) eV is performed through the analysis of the deep undergr ound muons and of the e.m. component of Extensive Air Showers detected in coincidence by the MACRO and EAS-TOP experiments at the Gran Sasso Laboratory. We conclude that: a) pure proton and Iron primary beams a re excluded by the experimental data; b) a fraction of nuclei heavier than Helium is necessary to explain the experimental data both below a nd above the knee; c) a mixed composition, obtained a priori from extr apolations of the spectra directly measured below 100 TeV, yields a re asonable account of the observations up to the knee of the primary spe ctrum.