Publications (192)131.37 Total impact
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Article: Properties of tangential and radial angles of muons in EAS
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ABSTRACT: Tangential and radial angles of muons in EAS, a useful concept in investigation of the muon production height, can be used also for the investigation of the muon momenta. A parameter zeta, being a combination of tangential and radial angles, is introduced and its possible applications in investigation of muons in showers are presented. Comment: 4 pages,8 figures, to be published in Nucl.Phys.B (Proc.Suppl.) in Proceedings of the XIIth ISHVECRI, CERN,200211/2002; -
Article: Measurement And Reconstruction Of
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ABSTRACT: This paper will focus on the eld array. More details about the other components of KASCADE can be found in Ref11/2002; -
Article: Recent Results From The Kascade Air Shower Experiment
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ABSTRACT: three shower components and a knee around 3 to 5 PeV is found in the all{particle spectrum. 1 Introduction The Earth's atmosphere is permanently bombarded by highly relativistic ionized particles, rst discovered and named "cosmic rays" by V. Hess in 1912. Present day experiments show the cosmic{ray energy spectrum extending up to more than 10 eV. It follows a power law dN=dE / E over many decades in energy. The only prominent feature is the knee in the spectrum around 4 PeV where the spectrum steepens from 2:7 to 3:1. The origin of cosmic rays is still under debate. Strong, relativistic shock fronts expanding from supernova explosions are favoured by popular models for the acceleration of the cosmic ray particles. Such models explain the particle acceleration up to energies of about Z 10 15 eV, with the nuclear charge Z of the particle. This coincidences with the mentioned steepening of the spectrum and the origin of the knee is related to the upper limit of accel12/2001; -
Article: A layer of streamer tube detectors for the measurement of muons in the KASCADE central detector
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ABSTRACT: For an improved detection of cosmic ray muons with a threshold of 2.4 GeV, the KASCADE Central Detector has been upgraded with a new detector component built of limited streamer tubes. Combined with the operation of two layers of multiwire proportional chambers they enable studies of the muonic component of extensive air showers at higher particle densities. Due to the pad readout system of the streamer tubes, ambiguities in the muon track reconstruction, resulting from limitations of the readout system of the multiwire proportional chambers, can be resolved. Additionally the sensitive area for muon detection is increased from 40% to 82% of the area of the Central Detector by the new layer of streamer tubes, with a good spatial resolution in the parts not covered by the multiwire proportional chambers. The setup of the new detector system and the reconstruction procedures are described and demonstrated by first measurements. 111/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 161 c
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ABSTRACT: An analysis of attenuation and absorption lengths of the electron number using data of the KASCADE air shower experiment is presented. The following methods are used to determine these quantities: The method of constant intensity, the attenuation of the electron number at the knee with increasing atmospheric depth, the decrease of the flux at a constant electron number with increasing zenith angle and the variation of the flux with ground pressure. The differences in the results are explained with respect to methodical uncertainties. An estimation of the influence of intrinsic shower fluctuations on the results is given.11/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 814 c
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ABSTRACT: A Muon Tracking Detector has been built up in an underground tunnel north of the centre of the KASCADE experiment. It measures muons and their directions in EAS by using Limited Streamer Tubes. For that purpose tracks with hits in 2 and 3 modules are considered, each hit consisting of a signal from a wire pair and from influence strips perpendicular to them. Diagonal strips are used to reduce ambiguities. In order to get a good determination of the muon production height by means of triangulation, a good separation of multiple muon tracks close to the shower core and a good angular resolution is needed. Methods of improving the angular resolution of the detector system are presented. Investigations have been conducted to separate the wire pair signals and to include drift time measurements. Simulations of the electric field in a Streamer Tube cell (9 ) and also the distance - drift time correlation are presented, as well as the resulting detector resolution. With respect to the KASCADEGrande upgrade the improved resolution becomes very valuable, because of increasing muon densities at higher energies of the primary shower particles.11/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 63 c
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ABSTRACT: Spectra of local muon densities in high-energy extensive air-showers (EAS) are presented as signature of the primary cosmic ray energy spectrum in the knee region. The KASCADE central detector, with its two layers of multiwire proportional chambers and with a layer of scintillation counters, enables the measurements of muon densities at two different threshold energies. The spectra have been reconstructed for various core distances, as well as for particular subsamples, classified on the basis of the shower size ratio N /N e . The measured density spectra of the total sample exhibit clear kinks reflecting the knee of the primary energy spectrum. While relatively sharp changes of the slopes are observed in the spectrum of EAS with small values of the shower size ratio, no such feature is detected at EAS of large N /N e ratio in the energy range of 1--10 PeV. In addition to these findings the validity of EAS simulations is studied by comparing the spectra for different muon energy detection thresholds and core distances with detailed Monte Carlo simulations. No consistent energy spectrum can be derived from the data for the two muon thresholds, irrespective of assumptions on elemental composition.11/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 241 c
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ABSTRACT: The interpretation of extensive air shower (EAS) measurements often requires the comparison with EAS simulations based on high-energy hadronic interaction models. These interaction models have to extrapolate into kinematical regions and energy ranges beyond the limit of present accelerators. Therefore, it is necessary to test whether these models are able to describe the EAS development in a consistent way. By measuring simultaneously the hadronic, electromagnetic, and muonic part of an EAS the experiment KASCADE offers best facilities for checking the models. For the EAS simulations the program CORSIKA with several hadronic event generators implemented is used. Different hadronic observables, e.g. hadron number, energy spectrum, lateral distribution, are investigated, as well as their correlations with the electromagnetic and muonic shower size. By comparing measurements and simulations the consistency of the description of the EAS development is checked. First results with the new interaction model NEXUS and the version II.5 of the model DPMJET, recently included in CORSIKA, are presented and compared with QGSJET simulations.11/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 1418 c
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ABSTRACT: In this analysis the structure of hadronic shower cores is investigated with the KASCADE calorimeter. The energy, position, and direction of incidence for individual hadrons above 50 GeV are measured. In parallel, the spatial structure is studied using the simulation program CORSIKA with the hadronic interaction model QGSJET. First results are presented for the showers with primary energies above 5 PeV. Elongated cores are observed more frequently than expected from random coincidence. This proves that KASCADE is sensitive to hadronic interaction producing elongated structures. Alignment can be found in both data sets - measurements and simulation. No significant deviation between them or hints for new physics have been found so far.11/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 88 c
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ABSTRACT: The data measured by the KASCADE (KArlsruhe Shower Core and Array DEtector) experiment are the basis for a multi-component analysis with the aim to determine the mass composition of the primary cosmic rays in the knee region. We discuss the methods used for estimating mass and energy of primary particles by utilizing neural network and nonparametric classification methods. By applying such techniques, measured data have been analyzed in an eventby -event mode and the mass and energy of individual EAS inducing particles are reconstructed. Results of all-particle energy spectra and relative abundances for different groups of primary particles are presented on basis of the electron and muon size data measured for different slant depths. The analyses of measured data indicate a transition to a heavier composition above a knee energy of ca. 5 PeV. It turns out that the mass composition depends on the particular set of observables (e.g. electron size N e , truncated muon size N , hadron size N h , most energetic hadron E h ,...) being considered simultaneously in the analysis. Though different sets of observables result in a qualitativly similar mass composition, quantitatively this leads to conspicuous differences. In this way the limitations of a particular interaction model are revealed and the necessity of detailed studies of correlations of EAS observables as a test of the hadronic interaction model is demonstrated.11/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 97 c
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ABSTRACT: The KASCADE experiment measures the electron and muon number of extensive air showers in the knee region with high precision. From these data shower size spectra for electrons and muons are constructed. An analysis is presented in which electron and muon size spectra in three different zenith angle bins are analysed simultaneously. With a four component assumption for the mass composition of primary cosmic rays (hydrogen, helium, carbon and iron) and using unfolding methods taking into account shower fluctuations and experimental effects energy spectra of these mass groups in the range between 10 15 and 10 eV are reconstructed. Each energy spectrum shows a steepening of the index of the resulting power law with a knee-like structure. The positions of the individual knees suggest a rigidity dependence. 111/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 153 c
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ABSTRACT: The capability of the Muon Tracking Detector to measure the radial and tangential angles of muons in extensive air showers, in combination with the shower direction as determined by the scintillator array of KASCADE experiment, has been investigated. Due to different characteristics in shower development of light and heavy primary particles the radial angle is sensitive to the mass of them. For estimating the displacement of the muon from the shower axis the tangential angle is used. The average radial angle and the muon production height have been studied as a function of shower core distance, muon number, and zenith angle. To check the consistency of the results, they have been compared to simulations, which have been done using the Monte Carlo program CORSIKA with the hadronic interaction model QGSJet.11/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 2370 c
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ABSTRACT: Data observed with the KASCADE extensive air shower experiment have been analyzed with respect to a possible contribution by primary gamma rays in the energy range of 0.3 to 10 PeV. The study makes use of the good definition of electron and muon numbers by the experiment. Possible gamma induced events are mainly identified by their low muon to electron ratios but, in addition, the steepness and smoothness of the electron lateral distributions are exploited. No positive identifications can be claimed but our results confirm and, in the lower part of the energy range, improve upper limits of a possible gamma contribution made by previous experiments. The distribution on the sky of the 53 most 'gamma-like' events out of a sample of 13.6 million events is indistinguishable from that of all the events registered. The results are based on a measurement time of approximately half a year.11/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 792 c
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ABSTRACT: We present the status and capabilities of the Extensive Air Shower experiment (KASCADE-Grande) which is being realized at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe through a large collecting area (0.5 km ) electromagnetic array (Grande) that will operate jointly with the existing KASCADE detectors. KASCADE-Grande will cover the primary energy range 10 eV, overlapping with KASCADE around 10 eV, thus providing a continuous information from 3 eV to 10 eV. The main task of the experiment is the observation of the "iron knee" in the cosmic ray spectrum that is expected at E Fe eV. This is expected following the increasing mass of the primaries observed between 10 and 10 eV (knee region for the light component), and the rigidity dependent breaks for the spectra of different primaries from the conventional acceleration models. Its observation will provide a definite proof of the knee structure.11/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 201 c
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ABSTRACT: Arrival time distributions of EAS muons carry information about the production profile of the EAS muonic component. The measured distributions are affected and distorted by various interwoven effects which arise from the time resolution of the timing detectors, from fluctuations of the reference time and the number of detected muons spanning the arrival time distribution of a single EAS event. The origin of these effects is discussed and correction procedures which involve detailed simulations are proposed.11/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 233 c
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ABSTRACT: The Monte Carlo program CORSIKA simulates the 4-dimensional evolution of extensive air showers in the atmosphere initiated by photons, hadrons or nuclei. It contains links to the hadronic interaction models DPMJET, HDPM, NEXUS, QGSJET, SIBYLL, and VENUS. These codes are employed to treat the hadronic interactions at energies above 80 GeV. Since their first implementation in 1996 the models DPMJET and SIBYLL have been revised to versions II.5 and 2.1, respectively. Also the treatment of diffractive interactions by QGSJET has been slightly modified. The models DPMJET, QGSJET and SIBYLL are able to simulate collisions even at the highest energies reaching up to 10 eV, which are at the focus of present research. The recently added NEXUS 2 program uses a unified approach combining Gribov-Regge theory and perturbative QCD. This model is based on the universality hypothesis of the behavior of highenergy interactions and presently works up to 10 eV. A comparison of simulations performed with different models gives an indication on the systematic uncertainties of simulated air shower properties, which arise from the extrapolations to energies, kinematic ranges, or projectile-target combinations not covered by man-made colliders. Results obtained with the most actual programs are presented.11/2001; -
Article: Proceedings of ICRC 2001: 810 c
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ABSTRACT: Accurate measurements of the muon component in EAS are particularily important for determination of the primary CR spectrum and composition. Multiparameter analysis possibilities in KASCADE have been recently enhanced by starting the operation of a large area streamer tube muon tracking detector. With its acceptance of about 500 m it identifies EAS muons with energy exceeding 0.8 GeV. The reconstruction of the mean muon production height, a parameter related to the nature of primary UHE particle, is a main goal of this detector. In addition, this detector is capable of independent determination of the shower direction, therefore, it can be used in combination with the scintillator array to improve the overall angular resolution of KASCADE. For the above-mentioned applications a good and well understood accuracy in determination of the angles of the muon tracks is of primary importance. The construction of the whole detector, as well as streamer tubes and electronics specially developed for it, allowed to reach high efficiency of muon track detection, on the level of 0.72. Various approaches to the concept of the angular resolution in track determination are discussed. The influence of the design and operation factors on the resolution, which can approach the level of 0.2 # , is shown. Example of the detector performance in muon density measurements is given.11/2001; -
Article: Unknown
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ABSTRACT: An analysis of muon and hadron rates observed in the central detector of the KASCADE experiment has been carried out. The data are compared with CORSIKA simulations employing the high-energy hadronic interaction models QGSJET, DPMJET, HDPM, SIBYLL and VENUS. In addition, first results with the new hadronic interaction model neXus 2 are discussed. Differences of the model predictions, both among each other and when confronted with measurements, are observed. The hadron rates mainly depend on the inelastic cross section and on the contribution of diffraction dissociation. The discrepancy between simulations and measurements at low primary energies 7 Now at: Humboldt University, 10099 Berlin, Germany.08/2001; -
Article: Unknown
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ABSTRACT: mary mass is inferred on an event-by-event basis by comparing the experimental data to corresponding EAS simulations. We observe a change towards a heavier composition with increasing energy above the knee. The sensitivity of this result to the specific hadronic interaction model employed in t. he simulations (e.g. VENUS and QGSJET) is discussed. 1. Experimental setup and observables The KASCADE detector array measures the lateral electron and muon distributions in extensive air showers. One aim is to obtain the electron and muon numbers that give important clues to mass and oneray of the primary particle. The ar- ray comprises about 500 m 2 of e/7- and 620 m 2 of It- detectors which are housed in 252 detector tations and are arranged in a grid of 200 x 200 m 2 size. They are described in more detail elsewhere ([1]). The muon detectors are positioned directly below the e/?- detectors and are shielded by slabs of lead and iron corresponding to 20 radiation lenghts in total. This impos07/2001; -
Article: Test of hadronic interaction models in the forward region with KASCADE event rates
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ABSTRACT: An analysis of muon and hadron rates observed in the central detector of the KASCADE experiment has been carried out. The data are compared with CORSIKA simulations employing the high-energy hadronic interaction models QGSJET, DPMJET, HDPM, SIBYLL and VENUS. In addition, first results with the new hadronic interaction model {neXus 2} are discussed. Differences of the model predictions, both among each other and when confronted with measurements, are observed. The hadron rates mainly depend on the inelastic cross section and on the contribution of diffraction dissociation. The discrepancy between simulations and measurements at low primary energies around 5 TeV can be reduced by increasing the non-diffractive part of the inelastic cross section of nucleon-air interactions. An examination of hadron multiplicities points towards harder spectra of secondary pions and kaons being needed in the calculations.Journal of Physics G Nuclear and Particle Physics 07/2001; 27(8):1785. · 4.18 Impact Factor
Top co-authors
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Institutions
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2012
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- Institut für Experimentelle Kernphysik
Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
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2011
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Institut für Technologie und Arbeit
Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
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2008
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Bergische Universität Wuppertal
Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
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2005
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Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
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