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Register a new userA large light-mass component of cosmic rays at 10^{17} - 10^{17.5} eV from radio observations
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S. Buitink
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Cosmic rays are the highest energy particles found in nature. Measurements of the mass composition of cosmic rays between 10^{17} eV and 10^{18} eV are essential to understand whether this energy range is dominated by Galactic or extragalactic sources. It has also been proposed that the astrophysical neutrino signal comes from accelerators capable of producing cosmic rays of these energies. Cosmic rays initiate cascades of secondary particles (air showers) in the atmosphere and their masses are inferred from measurements of the atmospheric depth of the shower maximum, Xmax, or the composition of shower particles reaching the ground. Current measurements suffer from either low precision, or a low duty cycle and a high energy threshold. Radio detection of cosmic rays is a rapidly developing technique, suitable for determination of Xmax with a duty cycle of in principle nearly 100%. The radiation is generated by the separation of relativistic charged particles in the geomagnetic field and a negative charge excess in the shower front. Here we report radio measurements of Xmax with a mean precision of 16 g/cm^2 between 10^{17}-10^{17.5} eV. Because of the high resolution in $Xmax we can determine the mass spectrum and find a mixed composition, containing a light mass fraction of ~80%. Unless the extragalactic component becomes significant already below 10^{17.5} eV, our measurements indicate an additional Galactic component dominating at this energy range.
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A spectrum of cosmic rays within energy range 10^15 - 3x10^17 eV was derived from the data of the small Cherenkov setup, which is a part of the Yakutsk complex EAS array. In this, work a new series of observation is covered. These observations lasted from 2000 till 2010 and resulted in increased number of registered events within interval 10^16 - 10^18 eV, which in turn made it possible to reproduce cosmic ray spectrum in this energy domain with better precision. A sign of a thin structure is observed in the shape of the spectrum. It could be related to the escape of heavy nuclei from our Galaxy. Cosmic ray mass composition was obtained for the energy region 10^16 - 10^18 eV. A joint analysis of spectrum and mass composition of cosmic rays was performed. Obtained results are considered in the context of theoretical computations that were performed with the use of hypothesis of galactic and meta-galactic origin of cosmic rays.
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Results of the search for $sim (10^{16} - 10^{17.5})$ eV primary cosmic-ray photons with the data of the Moscow State University (MSU) Extensive Air Shower (EAS) array are reported. The full-scale reanalysis of the data with modern simulations of the installation does not confirm previous indications of the excess of gamma-ray candidate events. Upper limits on the corresponding gamma-ray flux are presented. The limits are the most stringent published ones at energies $sim 10^{17}$ eV.
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