THE PRIMARY COSMIC RAY MASS COMPOSITION AROUND THE KNEE OF THE ENERGY SPECTRUM

摘要

Experimental muon number distributions in EAS obtained at Moscow State University are analysed to estimate the primary mass composition at energies before and after knee. The mass composition before the knee corresponds to the normal one (as at E(0) similar to 10(12) eV), while experimental data after the knee are in agreement with the assumption that normal composition becomes enriched slowly by heavy nuclei, as also supported by contemporary diffusion models. [References: 21]