G. Di Sciascio

The EAS size spectrum and the cosmic ray energy spectrum in the region 1015–1016 eV

Abstract The cosmic ray energy spectrum in the range E 0 = 10 15 –10 16 eV (including the region of the steepening, “knee” ) is studied by means of the EAS-TOP array (Campo Imperatore, Gran Sasso Laboratories, atmospheric depth 820 g cm −2 ). Measurements of the electromagnetic size ( N e = total number of charged particles at the observation level) are performed as a function of zenith angle with statistical accuracies of a few percent. The change of slope of the spectrum is observed in each bin of zenith angle at size values decreasing with increasing atmospheric depth. Its attenuation is compatible with the one of shower particles ( Λ e = 219 ± 3 g cm −2 ). This observation provides a consistency check, supporting a normal behaviour of showers at the break, that make plausible astrophysical interpretations based on an effect on primaries occurring at a given primary energy. The break has a “sharp” shape (i.e., within experimental errors is compatible with two intersecting power laws) that represents a constraint with which any interpretation has to match. The change of slope of the power law index reproducing the size spectrum is Δγ = 0.40 ± 0.09. The derived all particle energy spectrum is in good agreement with the extrapolation of the direct measurements at low energies and with other EAS data at and above the knee. Power laws fits to the energy spectrum below and above the knee give (in units of m −2 s −1 sr −1 TeV −1 ) S ( E 0 ) = (3.48 ± 0.06) × 10 −10 ( E 0 /2300) −2.76±0.03 for 900 TeV E 0 S ( E 0 ) = (3.77 ± 0.08) × 10 −11 ( E 0 /5000) −3.19±0.06 for 5000 TeV E 0 4 TeV. The systematic uncertainties connected to the interaction model and the primary composition are discussed.

UHE cosmic ray event reconstruction by the electromagnetic detector of EAS-TOP

Abstract UHE cosmic rays are studied by means of the detectors of the different components of secondaries produced by their interactions in the atmosphere (EAS). We describe and discuss the reconstruction techniques and accuracies of the e.m. detector of EAS-TOP. They allow, besides independent high resolution measurements of UHE γ-ray astronomy, good correlation possibilities with the detectors of the different EAS components.

Observation of the Cosmic Ray Moon shadowing effect with the ARGO-YBJ experiment

B. Bartoli, 2 P. Bernardini, 4 X.J. Bi, C. Bleve, 4 I. Bolognino, 7 P. Branchini, A. Budano, A.K. Calabrese Melcarne, P. Camarri, 11 Z. Cao, R. Cardarelli, S. Catalanotti, 2 C. Cattaneo, P. Celio, 12 S.Z. Chen, T.L. Chen, Y. Chen, P. Creti, S.W. Cui, B.Z. Dai, G. D’Aĺı Staiti, 17 Danzengluobu, M. Dattoli, 19, 20 I. De Mitri, 4 B. D’Ettorre Piazzoli, 2 T. Di Girolamo, 2 X.H. Ding, G. Di Sciascio, ∗ C.F. Feng, Zhaoyang Feng, Zhenyong Feng, F. Galeazzi, E. Giroletti, 7 Q.B. Gou, Y.Q. Guo, H.H. He, Haibing Hu, Hongbo Hu, Q. Huang, M. Iacovacci, 2 R. Iuppa, 11 I. James, 12 H.Y. Jia, Labaciren, H.J. Li, J.Y. Li, X.X. Li, G. Liguori, 7 C. Liu, C.Q. Liu, J. Liu, M.Y. Liu, H. Lu, X.H. Ma, G. Mancarella, 4 S.M. Mari, 12 G. Marsella, 24 D. Martello, 4 S. Mastroianni, P. Montini, 12 C.C. Ning, A. Pagliaro, M. Panareo, B. Panico, 11 L. Perrone, 24 P. Pistilli, 12 X.B. Qu, E. Rossi, F. Ruggieri, P. Salvini, R. Santonico, 11 P.R. Shen, X.D. Sheng, F. Shi, C. Stanescu, A. Surdo, Y.H. Tan, P. Vallania, 19 S. Vernetto, 19 C. Vigorito, 20 B. Wang, H. Wang, C.Y. Wu, H.R. Wu, B. Xu, L. Xue, Y.X. Yan, Q.Y. Yang, X.C. Yang, Z.G. Yao, A.F. Yuan, M. Zha, H.M. Zhang, Jilong Zhang, Jianli Zhang, L. Zhang, P. Zhang, X.Y. Zhang, Y. Zhang, Zhaxiciren, Zhaxisangzhu, X.X. Zhou, F.R. Zhu, Q.Q. Zhu, and G. Zizzi

High altitude test of RPCs for the Argo YBJ experiment

Abstract A 50 m 2 RPC carpet was operated at the YanBaJin Cosmic Ray Laboratory (Tibet) located 4300 m a.s.l. The performance of RPCs in detecting Extensive Air Showers was studied. Efficiency and time-resolution measurements at the pressure and temperature conditions typical of high mountain laboratories, are reported.A 50 m**2 RPC carpet was operated at the YangBaJing Cosmic Ray Laboratory (Tibet) located 4300 m a.s.l. The performance of RPCs in detecting Extensive Air Showers was studied. Efficiency and time resolution measurements at the pressure and temperature conditions typical of high mountain laboratories, are reported.

Measurement of the cosmic ray hadron spectrum up to 30-TeV at mountain altitude: The Primary proton spectrum

The flux of cosmic ray hadrons at the atmospheric depth of 820 g/cm^2 has been measured by means of the EAS-TOP hadron calorimeter (Campo Imperatore, National Gran Sasso Laboratories, 2005 m a.s.l.). The hadron spectrum is well described by a single power law : S(E_h) = (2.25 +- 0.21 +- 0.34(sys)) 10^(-7)(E_h/1000)^(-2.79 +- 0.05) m^(-2) s^(-1) sr^(-1) GeV^(-1) over the energy range 30 GeV-30 TeV. The procedure and the accuracy of the measurement are discussed. The primary proton spectrum is derived from the data by using the CORSIKA/QGSJET code to compute the local hadron flux as a function of the primary proton spectrum and to calculate and subtract the heavy nuclei contribution (basing on direct measurements). Over a wide energy range E_0 = 0.5-50 TeV its best fit is given by a single power law : S(E_0) = (9.8 +- 1.1 +- 1.6(sys)) 10^(-5) (E_0/1000)^(-2.80 +- 0.06) m^(-2) s^(-1) sr^(-1) GeV^(-1). The validity of the CORSIKA/QGSJET code for such application has been checked using the EAS-TOP and KASCADE experimental data by reproducing the ratio of the measured hadron fluxes at the two experimental depths (820 and 1030 g/cm^2 respectively) at better than 10% in the considered energy range.

A limit to the rate of ultra high energy γ-rays in the primary cosmic radiation

Abstract An upper limit to the flux of Ultra High Energy (UHE) γ-rays in the primary cosmic radiation is obtained through the data of the electromagnetic and the muon detectors of the EAS-TOP Extensive Air Shower array (Campo Imperatore, National Gran Sasso Laboratories, atmospheric depth 810g cm−2). The search is performed by selecting Extensive Air Showers (EAS) with low muon content. For EAS electron sizes Ne > 6.3 · 105, no showers are observed with the core located inside a fiducial area and no muons recorded in the 140 m2 muon detector, during a live time of 8440 h. The 90% c.l. upper limit to the relative intensity of γ-ray with respect to cosmic ray (c.r.) primaries is I γ I c.r. −5 , at primary energy E0 ≥ 1015 eV: this limit is lower than reported in previous measurements.

Results from the ARGO-YBJ test experiment

Abstract A resistive plate counters (RPCs) carpet of ∼50 m 2 has been put in operation in the Yangbajing Laboratory (Tibet, P.R. China) at 4300 m a.s.l., in order to study the RPCs performance at high altitude and the detector capability of imaging the EAS disc. This test has been performed in view of an enlarged use of RPCs for the ARGO-YBJ experiment. This experiment will be devoted to a wide range of fundamental issues in cosmic rays and astroparticle physics, including in particular γ-ray astronomy and γ-ray bursts physics at energies ⩾100 GeV. In this paper we present and discuss the procedures adopted to calibrate the detector and reconstruct the shower direction. Results concerning many shower features as the angular distribution, the density spectrum, the time profile of the shower front, are found well consistent with the expectation.

Argo-ybj Observation of the Large-scale Cosmic ray Anisotropy During the Solar Minimum Between Cycles 23 and 24

This paper reports on the measurement of the large-scale anisotropy in the distribution of cosmic-ray arrival directions using the data collected by the air shower detector ARGO-YBJ from 2008 January to 2009 December, during the minimum of solar activity between cycles 23 and 24. In this period, more than 2 × 10 11 showers were recorded with energies between ∼1 and 30 TeV. The observed two-dimensional distribution of cosmic rays is characterized by two wide regions of excess and deficit, respectively, both of relative intensity ∼10 −3 with respect to a uniform flux, superimposed on smaller size structures. The harmonic analysis shows that the large-scale cosmic-ray relative intensity as a function of R.A. can be described by the first and second terms of a Fouries series. The high event statistics allow the study of the energy dependence of the anistropy, showing that the amplitude increases with energy, with a maximum intensity at ∼10 TeV, and then decreases while the phase slowly shifts toward lower values of R.A. with increasing energy. The ARGO-YBJ data provide accurate observations over more than a decade of energy around this feature of the anisotropy spectrum.

Results on candidate UHE gamma-ray sources by the EAS-TOP array (1989–1993)

Abstract A search for UHE gamma-rays from 13 candidate point sources observable in the northern hemisphere (the Crab Nebula and Pulsar, Cygnus X-3, Hercules X-1, Geminga and others) has been performed by the EAS-TOP array during four years of operation since January 1989 to December 1993, at different energy thresholds ( E 0 = 30–300 TeV). DC, periodic and sporadic emissions have been studied, and no evidence for significant excesses has been found from any of these searches. The derived 90% c.l. upper limits to the d.c. flux, for a source culminating at the zenith such as Cygnus X-3, are Φ ( E > 230 TeV) −14 cm −2 s −1 , Φ ( E > 90 TeV) −14 cm −2 s −1 and Φ ( E > 25 TeV) −13 cm −2 s −1 . The excess from the Crab Nebula of February 23, 1989, as reported by the EAS-TOP, Baksan and KGF arrays, remains the only sporadic excess detected with statistically significant confidence level (probability of background imitation ≈ 10 −5 ).

STUDY OF THE DIFFUSE GAMMA-RAY EMISSION FROM THE GALACTIC PLANE WITH ARGO-YBJ

The events recorded by ARGO-YBJ in more than fiveyears of data collection have been analyzed to determine the diffuse gamma-ray emission in the Galactic plane at Galactic longitudes 25° < l < 100° and Galactic latitudes b 5 ∣ ∣< °. The energy range covered by this analysis, from ∼350 GeV to ∼2 TeV, allows the connection of the region explored by Fermi with the multi-TeV measurements carried out by Milagro. Our analysis has been focused on two selected regions of the Galactic plane, i.e., 40° < l < 100° and 65° < l <8 5 °( the Cygnus region), where Milagro observed an excess with respect to the predictions of current models. Great care has been taken in order to mask the most intense gamma-ray sources, including the TeV counterpart of the Cygnus cocoon recently identified by ARGO-YBJ, and to remove residual contributions. The ARGO-YBJ results do not show any excess at sub-TeV energies corresponding to the excess found by Milagro, and are consistent with the predictions of the Fermi model for the diffuse Galactic emission. From the measured energy distribution we derive spectral indices and the differential flux at 1 TeV of the diffuse gamma-ray emission in the sky regions investigated.