Effects of atmospheric electric fields on detection of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays
نویسنده
چکیده
We show that atmospheric electric fields may affect the cosmic ray observations in several ways and may lead to an overestimation of the cosmic ray energies. The electric field in thunderclouds can be as high as a few kV/cm. This field can accelerate the shower electrons and can feed some additional energy into the shower. Therefore, ground array observations in certain weather conditions may overestimate the energy of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays if they don’t take this effect into account. In addition, the electric field can bend the muon trajectories and affect the direction and energy reconstruction of inclined showers. Finally, there is a possibility of an avalanche multiplication of the shower electrons due to a runaway breakdown, which may lead to a significant miscalculation of the cosmic ray energy.
منابع مشابه
Propagation of ultra high energy cosmic rays
We briefly describe the energy loss processes of ultrahigh energy protons, heavier nuclei and gamma rays in interactions with the universal photon fields of the Universe. We then discuss the modification of the accelerated cosmic ray energy spectrum in propagation by the energy loss processes and the charged cosmic ray scattering in the extragalactic magnetic fields. The energy lost by the ultr...
متن کاملPropagation of Ultrahigh Energy Nuclei in Clusters of Galaxies: Resulting Composition and Secondary Emissions
We study the survival of ultrahigh energy nuclei injected in clusters of galaxies, as well as their secondary neutrino and photon emissions, using a complete numerical propagation method and a realistic modeling of the magnetic, baryonic and photonic backgrounds. It is found that the survival of heavy nuclei highly depends on the injection position and on the profile of the magnetic field. Taki...
متن کاملUltrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays Detection
The paper describes methods used for the detection of cosmic rays with energies above 1018 eV (UHECR, UltraHigh Energy Cosmic Rays). It had been anticipated there would be a cutoff in the energy spectrum of primary cosmic rays around 3·1019 eV induced by their interaction with the 2.7 K primordial photons. This has become known as the GZK cutoff. However, several showers have been detected with...
متن کاملExtragalactic Magnetic Field and the Highest Energy Cosmic Rays
The strength and spectrum of the extragalactic magnetic field are still unknown. Its measurement would help answer the question of whether galactic fields are purely a primordial relic or were dynamically enhanced from a much smaller cosmological seed field. In this letter, we show that the composition, spectrum, and directional distribution of extragalactic ultrahigh energy cosmic rays with en...
متن کاملCosmic Ray Astronomy
Cosmic ray astronomy attempts to identify and study the sources of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. It is unique in its reliance on charged particles as the information carriers. While no discrete source of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays has been identified so far, a new generation of detectors is acquiring the huge exposure that is needed at the highest energies, where deflection by magnetic fields...
متن کامل