Energy spectra, altitude profiles, and charge ratios of atmospheric muons

S. Coutu; J. J. Beatty; M. A. DuVernois; S. W. Barwick; E. Schneider; A. Bhattacharyya; C. R. Bower; J. A. Musser; A. Labrador; D. Müller; S. P. Swordy; E. Torbet; C. Chaput; S. McKee; G. Tarlé; A. D. Tomasch; S. L. Nutter; G. A. deNolfo

doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.62.032001

Energy spectra, altitude profiles, and charge ratios of atmospheric muons

S. Coutu, J. J. Beatty, M. A. DuVernois, S. W. Barwick, E. Schneider, A. Bhattacharyya, C. R. Bower, J. A. Musser, A. Labrador, D. Müller, S. P. Swordy, E. Torbet, C. Chaput, S. McKee, G. Tarlé, A. D. Tomasch, S. L. Nutter, and G. A. deNolfo

Phys. Rev. D 62, 032001 – Published 28 June 2000

Abstract

We present a new measurement of air shower muons made during atmospheric ascent of the High Energy Antimatter Telescope balloon experiment. The muon charge ratio $μ^{+} / μ^{-}$ is presented as a function of atmospheric depth in the momentum interval 0.3–0.9 $GeV / c .$ The differential $μ^{-}$ momentum spectra are presented between 0.3 and $\sim 50$ $GeV / c$ at atmospheric depths between 13 and 960 ${g / c m}^{2} .$ We compare our measurements with other recent data and with Monte Carlo calculations of the same type as those used in predicting atmospheric neutrino fluxes. We find that our measured $μ^{-}$ fluxes are smaller than the predictions by as much as 70% at shallow atmospheric depths, by $\sim 20 %$ at the depth of shower maximum, and are in good agreement with the predictions at greater depths. We explore the consequences of this on the question of atmospheric neutrino production.

Received 30 December 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.62.032001

Authors & Affiliations

S. Coutu, J. J. Beatty, and M. A. DuVernois

Departments of Physics and of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 104 Davey Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802

S. W. Barwick and E. Schneider

Department of Physics, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California 92717

A. Bhattacharyya, C. R. Bower, and J. A. Musser

Department of Physics, Swain Hall West, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405

A. Labrador, D. Müller, S. P. Swordy, and E. Torbet^*

Enrico Fermi Institute and Department of Physics, 933 E. 56th St., University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637

C. Chaput, S. McKee, G. Tarlé, and A. D. Tomasch

Department of Physics, Randall Laboratory, University of Michigan, 500 E. University, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1120

S. L. Nutter

Department of Physical Sciences, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, New Mexico 88130

G. A. deNolfo^†

Department of Physics, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130

^*Present address: Department of Physics, Broida Hall, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106.
^†Present address: Department of Physics, Downs Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125.

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Vol. 62, Iss. 3 — 1 August 2000

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