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Neutron emission following muon capture in Ce-142, Ce-140, Ba-138, and Sn-120.

Branching ratios to excited nuclear states formed after muon capture have been measured with Ge(Li) detectors. The delayed gamma rays were observed in studies of muonic Ce-142, Ce-140, Ba-138, and Sn-120, using separated isotopes. The resulting isotopes formed indicate at least a 60% probability of neutron emission upon muon capture, with the most likely product resulting from single-neutron emission. No evidence for delayed proton emission with a probability higher than 2% was found. Using our more precise energies for the observed nuclear transitions, we present revised energy levels schemes for La-141, La-139, Cs-137, and In-119.

Lucas, G. R., Jr.↗

On the possibilities of large-scale radio and fiber optics detectors in cosmic rays

Different variants of radio and fiber optics detectors for registration of super high energy cascades in the atmosphere and in dense media are discussed. Particularly the possibilities for investigation of quasi horizontal cosmic ray showers (CRS) and simulated muons from these CRS with the help of radio detectors and fiber optics detectors located on the ice surface are considered.

Gusev, G. A.↗

Pion studies with silicon detectors.

Most probable energy loss in silicon for pions with energies from 365 to 50 mev, examining pion beam behavior through different absorption material thicknesses

MUON↗

Evidence for long-term variability in the ultra high energy photon flux from Cygnus X-3

A time-correlation analysis of atmospheric Cerenkov pulses by a wide-angle photomultiplier system was previously shown to have present in it a nonrandom component which seemed associated with the Right Ascension (RA) range approx. 20+or-04h. A recent examination of multi-muon events recorded by a photon-decay detector shows a similar time-dependent effect, closely matching the previous results, supporting the suggestion that the effect is of cosmic origin. However, even though Cyg. X-3 lies well inside the region of peak intensity, it does not seem possible to ascribe to it the whole effect, for the implied photon flux appears too large to be reconciled to various gamma-ray measurements of Cyg. X-3. The original data were subjected to a phase-histogram analysis and it as found that only 2.5% of overall recorded data are compatible with a phase-dependent emission from Cyg. X-3. Assuming these events to be gamma rays yields a detected flux of (2.6 + or - 0.3) x 10 to the minus 12th power gamma cm -2s-1 above 5 x 10 to the 14th power eV. Comparing this value with more recent ultra high energy (UHE) photon data from the same source, it is suggested that the available data generally favor a long-term reduction in the Cyg. X-3 inferred luminosity ( 10 to the 13th power eV) by a factor of (1.8 + or - 0.3) per year.

Bhat, C. L.↗

Preliminary Results From The First Flight of ATIC

The Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter (ATIC) instrument is designed to measure the composition and energy spectra of Z = 1 to 28 cosmic rays over the energy range approximately 10 GeV - 100 TeV. The instrument was calibrated in September 1999 at CERN using accelerated electron, proton and pion beams. ATIC was launched as a long duration balloon test flight on 12/28/00 local time from McMurdo, Antarctica. After flying successfully for about 16 days the payload was recovered in excellent condition. Absolute calibration of the detector response was made using cosmic-ray muons. The data analysis algorithm which was developed with Monte Carlo simulations and validated with the CERN beam test will be used for the flight data analysis. Preliminary results of the proton and helium spectra will be reported in this paper.

Seo, E. S.↗

Preliminary Results From the First Flight of ATIC

The Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter (ATIC) instrument is designed to measure the composition C and energy spectra of Z = 1 to 28 cosmic rays over the energy range approximately 10 GeV - 100 TeV. The instrument was calibrated in September 1999 at CERN using accelerated electron, proton and pion beams. ATIC was launched as a long duration balloon test flight on 12/28/00 local time from McMurdo, Antarctica. After flying successfully for about 16 days the payload was recovered in excellent condition. Absolute calibration of the detector response was made using cosmic-ray muons. The data analysis algorithm which was developed with Monte Carlo simulations and validated with the CERN beam test will be used for the flight data analysis. Preliminary results of the protons and C helium spectra will be reported in this paper.

Seo, E. S.↗

A new study of muons in air showers by NBU air shower array

The North Bengal University (NBU) air shower array has been in operation in conjunction with two muon magnetic spectrographs. The array incorporates 21 particle density sampling detectors around the magnetic spectrographs covering an area of 900 sq m. The layout of the array is based on the arrangement of detectors in a square symmetry. The array set up on the ground level is around a 10 m high magnetic spectrograph housing. This magnetic spectrograph housing limits the zenith angular acceptance of the incident showers to a few degrees. Three hundred muons in the fitted showers of size range 10 to the 4th power to 10 to the 5th power particles have so far been scanned and the momenta determined in the momentum range 2 - 440 GeV/c. More than 1500 recorded showers are now in the process of scanning and fitting. A lateral distribution of muons of energy greater than 300 MeV in the shower size range 10 to the 5th power to 7 x 10 to the 5th power has been obtained.

Chaudhuri, N.↗

Multiple muons of conventional and exotic origin in DUMAND

A first summary of results from a theoretical analysis, based on hadron - muon cascade calculations, that yield relative intensities of very high energy multiple muons originating from ultra high energy interactions initiated by primary protons and iron nuclei in the atmosphere, under consideration of normal as well as direct and exotic production channels is presented. Lateral density distributions and target diagrams will be presented which show that only very large detectors, such as DUMAND, will be able to record multiple muons of conventional origin reliably. This, however, is a prerequisite for any primary mass determination based on multiple muon data.

Grieder, K. F.↗

Physics and astrophysics from a lunar base; Proceedings of the 1st NASA Workshop, Stanford, CA, May 19, 20, 1989

The present conference on physics and astrophysics from a lunar base encompasses space physics, cosmic ray physics, neutrino physics, experiments in gravitation and general relativity, gravitational radiation physics, cosmic background radiation, particle astrophysics, surface physics, and the physics of gamma rays and X-rays. Specific issues addressed include space-plasma physics research at a lunar base, prospects for neutral particle imaging, the atmosphere as particle detector, medium- and high-energy neutrino physics from a lunar base, muons on the moon, a search for relic supernovae antineutrinos, and the use of clocks in satellites orbiting the moon to test general relativity. Also addressed are large X-ray-detector arrays for physics experiments on the moon, and the measurement of proton decay, arcsec-source locations, halo dark matter and elemental abundances above 10 exp 15 eV at a lunar base.

Potter, A. E.↗

The Nagoya cosmic-ray muon spectrometer 3, part 4: Track reconstruction method

One of the greatest problems in measuring particle trajectories with an optical or visual detector system, is the reconstruction of trajectories in real space from their recorded images. In the Nagoya cosmic-ray muon spectrometer, muon tracks are detected by wide gap spark chambers and their images are recorded on the photographic film through an optical system of 10 mirrors and two cameras. For the spatial reconstruction, 42 parameters of the optical system should be known to determine the configuration of this system. It is almost impossible to measure this many parameters directly with usual techniques. In order to solve this problem, the inverse transformation method was applied. In this method, all the optical parameters are determined from the locations of fiducial marks in real space and the locations of their images on the photographic film by the non-linear least square fitting.

Shibata, S.↗

Observation of muons from Cygnus X-3 in the NUSEX experiment

Ground based observations by means of Cerenkov light detectors and air shower arrays have established that Cyngus X-3 is a powerful source of high energy particles. The detection of a 10 to the 15th power eV signal was first reported by the Kiel experiment. Air showers with large age parameter were accepted in order to select those generated by primary gamma rays. At variance with the expectation, the muon density associated with these events was found to be surprisingly high. This puzzling result stimulated a temporal analysis of the muons recorded in Nucleon Stability Experiment (NUSEX) coming from the region around the source. A positive signal was found suggesting the presentation of this result. The analysis of the data recorded during the 2.4 years of effective working time is presented with a fine tuning of the period and the energy spectrum of the muons from the Cygnus X-3 direction derived assuming consistency between NUSEX and SOUDAN results.

Piazzoli, B. D.↗

High and low energy secondary cosmic rays in the atmosphere

A rapporteur paper is presented on the subject of secondary cosmic rays in the earth atmosphere. The response of cosmic ray detectors to environmental factors is discussed treating both interplanetary and near-earth effects. The energy response characteristics of cosmic ray detectors are considered, examining the response characteristics of the underground vertical muon telescope at London and presenting the upper cut-off rigidity for some coupling functions. Cosmic-ray produced electrons and photons in the atmosphere are discussed.

Ahluwalia, H. S.↗

The homestake surface-underground scintillators: Initial results

The first 70 tons of the 140-ton Large Area Scintillation Detector (LASD) have been operating since Jan. 1985 at a depth of 4850 ft. (4200 m.w.e.) in the Homestake Gold Mine, Lead, S.D. A total of 4 x 10(4) high-energy muons (E sub mu is approx. 2.7 TeV at the surface) have been detected. The remainder of the detector is scheduled to be in operation by the Fall of 1985. In addition, a surface air shower array is under construction. The first 27 surface counters, spaced out over an area of 270' x 500', began running in June, 1985. The LASD performance, the potential of the combined shower array and underground muon experiment for detecting point sources, and the initial results of a search for periodic emission from Cygnus X-3 are discussed.

Cherry, M. L.↗

Study of the Residual Background Events in Ground Data from the ASTRO-HSXS Microcalorimeter

The measured instrumental background of the XRS calorimeter spectrometer of Suzaku had several sources, including primary cosmic rays and secondary particles interacting with the pixels and with the silicon structure of the array. Prior to the launch of Suzaku, several data sets were taken without x-ray illumination to study the characteristics and timing of background signals produced in the array and anti-coincidence detector. Even though the source of the background in the laboratory was different from that in low-earth orbit (muons and environmental gamma-rays on the ground versus Galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) protons and alpha particles in space), the study of correlations and properties of populations of rare events was useful for establishing the preliminary screening parameters needed for selection of good science data. Sea-level muons are singly charged minimum-ionizing particles, like the GCR protons, and thus were good probes of the effectiveness of screening via the signals from the anti-coincidence detector. Here we present the first analysis of the on-ground background of the SXS calorimeter of Astro-H. On XRS, the background prior to screening was completely dominated by coincident events on many pixels resulting from the temperature pulse arising from each large energy deposition (greater than 200 keV) into the silicon frame around the array. The improved heat-sinking of the SXS array compared with XRS eliminated these thermal disturbances, greatly reducing the measured count rate in the absence of illumination. The removal of these events has made it easier to study the nature of the residual background and to look for additional event populations. We compare the SXS residual background to that measured in equivalent ground data for XRS and discuss these preliminary results.

ASTRO-H↗

Search for proton decay in the Frejus experiment

The status of the Frejus experiment and the preliminary results obtained in the search for nucleon decay are discussed. A modular, fine grain tracking calorimeter was installed in the Frejus laboratory in the period extending from October 1983 to May 1985. The 3300 cubic meter underground laboratory, located in the center of the Frejus tunnel in the Alps, is covered in the vertical direction by 1600 m of rocks (4400 m w.e.). The average number of atmospheric muons in the lab is 4.2 square meters per day. The 912 ton detector is made of 114 modules, each one including eight flash chamber and one Geiger vertical planes of (6 x 6) square meters dimensions. The flash chamber (and Geiger) planes are alternatively crossed to provide a 90 deg. stereo reconstruction. No candidate for the nucleon decay into charged lepton is found in the first sample of events.

Berger, C.↗

Constraints on cosmic-ray observation of Cygnus X-3

Two experimental groups working at different minimum energies have reported underground muons coming from the direction of Cygnus X-3 with rates that vary in synchrony with its binary period. At the Mont Blanc detector the events are, within statistics, uniformly spread over a 5 degree circle around the position of Cygnus X-3, even though the angular resolution is significantly better than this. The ratio of events in the phase peak to total muons observed rises as a function of minimum muon energy. An experiment also sees an excess in the number of pairs of codirectional multiple muon events arriving within about 5000 seconds of each other, the excess events coming from a direction about 20 degrees away from Cygnus X-3.

Barnhill, M. V., III↗