TY  - JOUR
AU  - Pierre Auger Collaboration (Aab, A. et al
AU  - Pastor, S.
PY  - 2014
DA  - 2014//
TI  - Muons in air showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory: Measurement of atmospheric production depth
T2  - Phys. Rev. D
JO  - Physical Review D
SP  - 012012
EP  - 15pp
VL  - 90
IS  - 1
PB  - Amer Physical Soc
AB  - The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory provides information about the longitudinal development of the muonic component of extensive air showers. Using the timing information from the flash analog-to-digital converter traces of surface detectors far from the shower core, it is possible to reconstruct a muon production depth distribution. We characterize the goodness of this reconstruction for zenith angles around 60 degrees and different energies of the primary particle. From these distributions, we define X-max(mu) as the depth along the shower axis where the production of muons reaches maximum. We explore the potentiality of X-max(mu) as a useful observable to infer the mass composition of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays. Likewise, we assess its ability to constrain hadronic interaction models.
SN  - 1550-7998
UR  - http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1407.5919
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.90.012012
DO  - 10.1103/PhysRevD.90.012012
LA  - English
N1  - WOS:000339922100001
ID  - PierreAugerCollaborationAab+Pastor2014
ER  -