Evidence for a mixed mass composition at the 'ankle' in the cosmic-ray spectrum

被引:79
作者
Aab, A. [39 ]
Abreu, P. [72 ]
Aglietta, M. [49 ,50 ]
Ahn, E. J. [87 ]
AlSamarai, I. [31 ]
Albuquerque, I. F. M. [18 ]
Allekotte, I. [1 ,2 ]
Allison, P. [92 ]
Almela, A. [10 ,13 ]
Alvarez Castillo, J. [64 ]
Alvarez-Muniz, J. [82 ]
Ambrosio, M. [47 ]
Anastasi, G. A. [40 ]
Anchordoqui, L. [86 ]
Andrada, B. [10 ]
Andringa, S. [72 ]
Aramo, C. [47 ]
Arqueros, F. [79 ]
Arsene, N. [75 ]
Asorey, H. [1 ,2 ,26 ]
Assis, P. [72 ]
Aublin, J. [31 ]
Avila, G. [11 ,12 ]
Badescu, A. M. [76 ]
Balaceanu, A. [73 ]
Baus, C. [34 ]
Beatty, J. J. [92 ]
Becker, K. H. [33 ]
Bellido, J. A. [14 ]
Berat, C. [32 ]
Bertaina, M. E. [49 ,58 ]
Bertou, X. [1 ,2 ]
Biermann, P. L. [14 ]
Billoir, P. [31 ]
Biteau, J. [30 ]
Blaess, S. G. [14 ]
Blanco, A. [72 ]
Blazek, J. [27 ]
Bleve, C. [45 ,52 ]
Bohacova, M. [27 ]
Boncioli, D. [42 ]
Bonifazi, C. [24 ]
Borodai, N. [69 ]
Botti, A. M. [10 ,35 ]
Brack, J. [5 ,85 ]
Brancus, I. [73 ]
Bretz, T. [37 ]
Bridgeman, A. [35 ]
Briechle, F. L. [37 ]
Buchholz, P. [39 ]
机构
[1] Consejo Nacl Invest Cient & Tecn, CNEA UNCuyo, Ctr Atom Bariloche, RA-1033 Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina
[2] Consejo Nacl Invest Cient & Tecn, CNEA UNCuyo, Inst Balseiro, RA-1033 Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina
[3] CITEDEF, Ctr Invest Laseres Aplicac, RA-1033 Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina
[4] Consejo Nacl Invest Cient & Tecn, RA-1033 Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina
[5] Univ Buenos Aires, FCEyN, Dept Ciencias Atmosfera Oceanos, Dept Fis, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina
[6] Consejo Nacl Invest Cient & Tecn, Univ Nacl Plata, IFLP, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina
[7] Consejo Nacl Invest Cient & Tecn, IAFE, UBA, Inst Astronomia Fis Espacio, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina
[8] Consejo Nacl Invest Cient & Tecn, UMR, IFIR, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina
[9] Observ Pierre Auger, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina
[10] Observ Pierre Auger & Comis Nacl Energia Atoma, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina
[11] Univ Tecnol Nacl, Fac Reg Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina
[12] Univ Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
[13] CBPF, Buenos Aires, DF, Brazil
[14] Univ Sao Paulo, Escola Engn Lorena, BR-05508 Sao Paulo, Brazil
[15] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Fis Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Brazil
[16] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Fis, Sao Paulo, Brazil
[17] Univ Estadual Campinas, BR-13081970 Campinas, SP, Brazil
[18] Univ Estadual Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil
[19] Univ Fed Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
[20] Univ Fed Abc, Santo Andre, SP, Brazil
[21] Univ Fed Parana, Setor Palotina, Brazil
[22] Univ Fed Rio Janeiro, Inst Fis, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
[23] Univ Fed Fluminense, BR-24220000 Niteroi, RJ, Brazil
[24] Univ Ind Santander, Santander, Colombia
[25] Acad Sci Czech Republ, Inst Phys, Prague, Czech Republic
[26] Palacky Univ, RCPTM, Olomouc, Czech Republic
[27] Univ Prague, Inst Particle & Nucl Phys, Prague, Czech Republic
[28] Univ Paris 11, CNRS IN2P3, IPNO, Paris, France
[29] Univ Paris 06, LPNHE, Paris, France
[30] Univ Grenoble Alpes, CNRS IN2P3, LPSC, Grenoble Alpes, France
[31] Berg Univ Wuppertal, Dept Phys, Wuppertal, Germany
[32] Karlsruhe Inst Technol, Inst Expt Kernphys IEKP, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
[33] Karlsruhe Inst Technol, IKP, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
[34] Karlsruhe Inst Technol, IPE, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
[35] RWTH Aachen Univ III, Phys Inst A, Aachen, Germany
[36] Univ Hamburg II, Inst Theoret Phys, Hamburg, Germany
[37] Univ Siegen, Fac Phys Expt Teilchenphys 7, Siegen, Germany
[38] Gran Sasso Sci Inst INFN, Laquila, Italy
[39] INAF, Ist Astrofis Spaziale & Fis Cosm Palermo, Palermo, Italy
[40] INFN, Lab Nazl Gran Sasso, Rome, Italy
[41] INFN, Grp Collegato Aquila, Laquila, Italy
[42] INFN, Sez Catania, Catania, Italy
[43] INFN, Sez Lecce, Lecce, Italy
[44] INFN, Sez Milano, Milan, Italy
[45] INFN, Sez Napoli, Naples, Italy
[46] INFN, Sez Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
[47] INFN, Sez Torino, Turin, Italy
[48] INAF, Osserv Astrofis Torino, Turin, Italy
[49] Univ Salento, Dipartimento Ingn, Salento, Italy
[50] Univ Salento, Dipartimento Matemat Fis E Giorgi, Salento, Italy
基金
美国国家科学基金会; 巴西圣保罗研究基金会; 英国科学技术设施理事会; 澳大利亚研究理事会;
关键词
Pierre Auger Observatory; Cosmic rays; Mass composition; Ankle; ENERGY;
D O I
10.1016/j.physletb.2016.09.039
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
We report a first measurement for ultrahigh energy cosmic rays of the correlation between the depth of shower maximum and the signal in the water Cherenkov stations of air-showers registered simultaneously by the fluorescence and the surface detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory. Such a correlation measurement is a unique feature of a hybrid air-shower observatory with sensitivity to both the electromagnetic and muonic components. It allows an accurate determination of the spread of primary masses in the cosmic-ray flux. Up till now, constraints on the spread of primary masses have been dominated by systematic uncertainties. The present correlation measurement is not affected by systematics in the measurement of the depth of shower maximum or the signal in the water Cherenkov stations. The analysis relies on general characteristics of air showers and is thus robust also with respect to uncertainties in hadronic event generators. The observed correlation in the energy range around the 'ankle' at lg(E/eV) = 18.5-19.0 differs significantly from expectations for pure primary cosmic-ray compositions. A light composition made up of proton and helium only is equally inconsistent with observations. The data are explained well by a mixed composition including nuclei with mass A > 4. Scenarios such as the proton dip model, with almost pure compositions, are thus disfavored as the sole explanation of the ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray flux at Earth. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
引用
收藏
页码:288 / 295
页数:8
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