Lateral Distribution Functions of Signals in Surface Scintillation Detectors of the Yakutsk Array, New Energy Estimates
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ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS Experiment
Lateral Distribution Functions of Signals in Surface Scintillation Detectors of the Yakutsk Array, New Energy Estimates of Extensive Air Showers and the Energy Spectrum of the Primary Cosmic Radiation at Energies ∼1017 –1019 eV L. G. Dedenko1), 2)* , A. V. Lukyashin3), 4) , and T. M. Roganova2) Received July 15, 2019; revised July 15, 2019; accepted July 15, 2019
Abstract—Fluctuations of lateral distributions of signals in the surface scintillation detectors of the Yakutsk array are found to be large. New estimates of the inclined shower energy had been suggested. In view of these estimates the Yakutsk energy spectrum becomes quite comparable with the spectra observed at the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array. The shower energy calculated using the data of only one detector may be overestimated if fluctuations are neglected. DOI: 10.1134/S1063778819660153
1. INTRODUCTION In the middle of the last century it was clearly demonstrated [1, 2] that passage of extensive air showers through the atmosphere occurs with considerable fluctuations. Since then not many measurements or simulations correctly accounting for these fluctuations had been carried out. Usually, only average values were calculated and interpreted. The reasons are quite clear. Problems with simulations of cascades with billions of particles are very severe. Only now the remarkable progress of computers allows us to perform more detailed simulations of shower development process. Besides, nowadays, modern shower arrays have many quite sophisticated detectors [3–5], which provide an opportunity for more detailed interpretation of data. The main goal of this paper is some demonstration of the fact that reasonable account of fluctuations leads to much more correct interpretations of data. Particularly, fluctuations of signals in the surface scintillation detectors of the Yakutsk array at distances 300, 600 and 1000 m from the shower core and corresponding fluctuations of the lateral distribution function (LDF) of these signals are found to be large. So, the average LDF does not have much sense. 1)
Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics, Moscow, Russia. 2) Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia. 3) NRC “Kurchatov Institute”—ITEP, Moscow, Russia. 4) National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Moscow, Russia. * E-mail: [email protected]
In this paper a very simple parabolic approximation of the individual LDF for individual showers has been suggested. In the analysis we consider the surface scintillation detectors as particular detectors specified for every inclined shower with the zenith angle θ. It means that all geometrical parameters of these specified detectors should be regarded in accordance with this zenith angle. Then simulations of signal calibration should be carried out for such detectors to receive new estimates of shower energy. With these energy estimates the new energy spectrum of the Yakutsk array had been
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