Cosmic ray physics with TeV muons in large volume detectors

摘要

Large volume detectors such as IceCube, designed for the detection of astrophysical neutrinos register cosmic ray-induced atmospheric muon bundles at a rate of several thousand events per second. Due to the large amount of surrounding material, the effective energy threshold for muons reaching the detector typically lies at approximately one TeV. Through careful evaluation of event profiles it is possible to address cosmic ray and particle physics issues in an unprecedented energy region. Results from the analysis of one year of IceCube data are presented and their implications discussed.