Faculty of Physics
M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University
Regular Article

# On the sensitivity of the spatial-angular distribution of the Cherenkov light in extensive air showers to the mass composition of primary cosmic rays with energies of $10^{15}$-$10^{16}$ eV

## V.I. Galkin$^{1,2}$, T.A. Dzhatdoev$^{1,2}$

### Moscow University Physics Bulletin 2010. 65. N 3. P. 195

• Article
Annotation

This paper analyses the possibility of separating distinct groups of nuclei of primary cosmic rays with energies of ${10}^{15}$-${10}^{16}$ eV from the data on the spatial-angular distribution of Cherenkov light in extensive air showers. The paper shows that using an array of a few (3–4) telescopes with a moderately sized angular cell ∼0.5° placed at a distance ∼100 m from one another, one can achieve almost complete separation of the showers initiated by these nuclei (the Bayesian classification error is a few percentage points for the case of separating primary protons and nitrogen nuclei). The authors propose new parameters of the angular Cherenkov image that can greatly enhance the separability of the shower classes as compared to the approach based on the traditional parameters.

Approved: 2010 June 23
PACS:
96.50.sd Extensive air showers
Rissian citation:
В.И. Галкин, Т.А. Джатдоев.
Вестн. Моск. ун-та. Сер. 3. Физ. Астрон. 2010. № 3. С. 37.
Authors
V.I. Galkin$^{1,2}$, T.A. Dzhatdoev$^{1,2}$
$^1$Chair of Space Physics, Faculty of Physics, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
$^2$Skobel’tsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia

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