L. Riccati

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.

Q2 dependence of the proton and neutron structure functions from neutrino and antineutrino scattering in deuterium

Abstract12,100 νD and 10,500

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

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

charged current interactions in deuterium measured in the BEBC bubble chamber were used to obtain the complete set of structure functions of proton and neutron. Thex andQ2 dependence of the structure functions of up and down valence quarks and antiquarks are presented and discussed. The Adler and Gross-Llewellyn Smith sum rules have been tested at differentQ2 values. A QCD analysis of the four non singlet structure functionsxF3νN,xuv,xdv andF2νn−F2νp has been performed yielding values ofΛLO between 100 and 300 MeV.

Steps towards the use of silicon drift detectors in heavy ion collisions at LHC

Abstract A sample of 766 antineutrino charged current elastic events has been used to extract the variation of the elastic cross section with antineutrino energy and the distribution of d N /d q 2 . The best fit value for the parameter M A obtained from these measurements is M A = 0.91 ± 0.04 GeV/ c 2 for M V = 0.84 GeV/ c 2 . A simultaneous determination of M A and M V gives M A = 0.94 ± 0.07, M V = 0.81

Designing a linear silicon drift detector

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.

The limit to the UHE extraterrestrial neutrino flux from the observations of horizontal air showers at EAS-TOP

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.

Silicon drift detector; studies about geometry of electrodes and production technology

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 ).