36,615 research outputs found
The KASCADE-Grande observatory and the composition of very high-energy cosmic rays
No full textKASCADE-Grande is an air-shower observatory devoted to the detection of cosmic rays with energies in the range of 10¹⁶ to 10¹⁸ eV. This energy region is of particular interest for the cosmic ray astrophysics, since it is the place where some models predict the existence of a transition from galactic to extragalactic origin of cosmic rays and the presence of a break in the flux of its heavy component. The detection of these features requires detailed and simultaneous measurements of the energy and composition of cosmic rays with sufficient statistics. These kinds of studies are possible for the first time in KASCADE-Grande due to the accurate measurements of several air-shower observables, i.e., the number of charged particles, electrons and muons in the shower, using the different detector systems of the observatory. In this contribution, a detailed look into the composition of 10¹⁶−10¹⁸ eV cosmic rays with KASCADE-Grande is presented
Test of hadronic interaction models with the KASCADE-Grande muon data
No full textKASCADE-Grande is an air-shower observatory devoted for the detection of cosmic rays with energies in the interval of 1014 − 1018 eV, where the Grande array is responsible for the higher energy range. The experiment comprises different detection systems which allow precise measurements of the charged, electron and muon numbers of extensive air-showers (EAS). These data is employed not only to reconstruct the properties of the primary cosmic-ray particle but also to test hadronic interaction models at high energies. In this contribution, predictions of the muon content of EAS from QGSJET II-2, SIBYLL 2.1 and EPOS 1.99 are confronted with the experimental measurements performed with the KASCADE-Grande experiment in order to test the validity of these hadronic models commonly used in EAS simulations
Cosmic ray energy spectra derived from KASCADE-Grande data using post-LHC hadronic interaction models
No full textKASCADE-Grande was dedicated to measuring the energy spectrum and mass composition of cosmic rays in the energy range of 10 PeV to 1 EeV. We observed a knee-like structure in the heavy mass component at around 100 PeV and an ankle-like structure in the light component. In this contribution, we present updated energy spectra based on shower size measurements, using the post-LHC hadronic models QGSJET-II-04, EPOS-LHC, and SIBYLL 2.3d, with accounting for shower-to-shower fluctuations. We will compare and discuss the results obtained using the different interaction models
On a coherent investigation of the spectrum of cosmic rays in the energy range of 10¹⁴ - 10¹⁸eV with KASCADE and KASCADE-Grande
No full textThe KASCADE experiment and its extension KASCADE-Grande have significantly contributed to the current knowledge about the energy spectrum and composition of cosmic rays (CRs) with energies between the knee and the ankle. However, the data of both experiments were analysed separately, although Grande used the muon information of the KASCADE-array. A coherent analysis based on the combined data of both arrays is expected to profit from reconstructed shower observables with even higher accuracy compared to the stand-alone analyses. In addition, a significantly larger fiducial area is available. The aim of this analysis is to obtain the spectrum and composition of CRs in the range from 10 to 10 eV with a larger number of events and further reduced uncertainties using one unique reconstruction procedure for the entire energy range. This contribution will describe the motivation, the concept, and the current status of the combined analysis
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