Abstract
Multimuon data from the MACRO experiment at Gran Sasso have been analyzed using a new method, which allows one to estimate the primary cosmic ray fluxes. The estimated all-particle spectrum is higher and flatter than the one obtained from direct measurements but is consistent with EAS array measurements. The spectral indexes of the fitted energy spectrum are 2.56[Formula presented]0.05 for [Formula presented]500 TeV and 2.9[Formula presented]0.3 for [Formula presented]5000 TeV with a gradual change at intermediate energies. The average mass number shows little dependence on the primary energy below 1000 TeV, with a value of 10.1[Formula presented]2.5 at 100 TeV. At higher energies the best fit average mass shows a mild increase with energy, even though no definite conclusion can be reached taking into account errors. The fitted spectra cover a range from [Formula presented] 50 TeV up to several thousand TeV.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1418-1436 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology |
Volume | 56 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1997 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)