Muons in high energy cosmic ray air showers

• Grant number: 13/23074-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2014
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Elementary Particle Physics and Fields
• Principal Investigator: Anderson Campos Fauth
• Grantee: Luiz Augusto Stuani Pereira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 10/07359-6 - Study of cosmic rays of highest energies with the Pierre Auger Observatory , AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 15/22114-3 - Investigation of muon and radio signals from high energy extensive air showers, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

In the search for understanding of the formation and development of the universe cosmic ray detection has a fundamental role. Especially for very high energies, its origin is weakly known. The ultra-energy cosmic rays have energies between 10E17 eV to 10E20 eV, and its study may reveal a nature of yet unknown forces in the universe. High energy muons can provide information about the processes that occurred in the development of the extensive air shower, due to this component be coupled to hadronic shower component, providing crucial information about the properties of the primary cosmic rays. Thus, muons can be used to study the chemical composition of primary cosmic rays, because its multiplicity depends on the atomic number of the primary particle. All parameters that are sensitive to the chemical composition of the primary particle depends on the primary energy, the Xmax depends on the multiplicity of muons. Soon the measurement of muons in air showers is fundamental in the study of the composition of cosmic rays. This work deals with the detailed study of extensive air showers muon component of very high energies with the purpose to improve the measurement of the chemical composition of primary cosmic radiation through the data of the Pierre Auger Observatory and the AMIGA infill.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

PEREIRA, Luiz Augusto Stuani. Investigation of muon, radio and fluorescence signals from high energy extensive air showers for chemical composition analyses. 2018. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin Campinas, SP.