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Mass composition measurements at the Pierre Auger Observatory
Author(s) -
Molina Bueno L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
astronomische nachrichten
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.394
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1521-3994
pISSN - 0004-6337
DOI - 10.1002/asna.201512228
Subject(s) - pierre auger observatory , cosmic ray , physics , auger , observatory , muon , ultra high energy cosmic ray , hadron , large hadron collider , nuclear physics , atmosphere (unit) , astrophysics , detector , astronomy , atomic physics , optics , meteorology
The Pierre Auger Observatory is the largest ultra‐high energy cosmic ray experiment built so far. It is a hybrid detector, since it measures both the fluorescence light emitted while the air showers develop in the atmosphere and the particles reaching the ground. We present the results related to the mass composition of ultra‐high energy cosmic rays as obtained from both types of measurements. The depth at which the maximum of the electromagnetic development takes place and its fluctuations are the most sensitive parameters to infer the nature of the cosmic rays. In addition, we present the latest muon measurements that can be used to test and constrain models of hadronic interactions at energies larger than those reached at LHC. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)