Related papers: Testing hadronic interaction packages at cosmic ra…
We have implemented ad-hoc modifications to the CORSIKA Monte-Carlo generator which allow us to simultaneously adjust the multiplicity, elasticity and cross-section of hadronic interactions with respect to the predictions of the Sibyll 2.3d…
We present a new version of the hadron interaction event generator Sibyll. While the core ideas of the model have been preserved, the new version handles the production of baryon pairs and leading particles in a new way. In addition,…
We discuss the relation between remnant fragmentation in inelastic high-energy hadronic interactions and muon production in extensive cosmic ray air showers. Using a newly developed tool, a simple and flexible hadronic event generator, we…
In this article I review the main theoretical problems that are posed by the highest energy end of the observed cosmic ray spectrum, stressing the importance of establishing their composition in order to decide between proposed scenarios. I…
The characteristics of an extensive air shower derive from both the mass of the primary ultra-high-energy cosmic ray that seeds its development and the properties of the hadronic interactions that feed it. With its hybrid detector design,…
In models with substructure in the fermionic sector, excited fermion states are expected. Excited leptons could be produced in the interaction of high energy quasi-horizontal cosmic neutrinos with the atmosphere via neutral and charged…
The reliable simulation of extensive air showers induced by different primary particles (e. g. proton, iron, gamma etc.) is of great importance in high energy cosmic ray research. The CORSIKA is a standard Monte-Carlo simulation package to…
We present a study of the high energy spectra of hadrons in cores of extensive air showers. These data were obtained for the first time in the hybrid {\it HADRON} experiment (Tien-Shan) by means of a large X-ray emulsion chamber combined…
Identification of primary cosmic rays on an event-by-event basis is a much-desired capability of cosmic-ray observatories. Several cosmic-ray air-shower experiments use so-called photon tags for gamma hadron primary particle discrimination.…
Experimental studies of nucleus-nucleus collisions in the whole SPS energy range are reviewed. Selected topics such as statistical properties of the hadronic phase, strangeness production, fluctuations and correlations are discussed with…
The composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays is still poorly known and constitutes a very important topic in the field of high-energy astrophysics. Detection of ultra-high energy cosmic rays is carried out via the extensive air showers…
Diffractive processes in photon-proton interactions at HERA offer the opportunity to improve the understanding of the transition between the soft, non-perturbative regime in hadronic interactions at $Q^2 = 0$ and the perturbative region at…
We investigate the interactions of energetic hadronic particles with the media in outflows from star-forming protogalaxies. These particles undergo pion-producing interactions which can drive a heating effect in the outflow, while those…
The longitudinal profile of the most energetic cosmic-ray air shower measured so far, the event recorded by the Fly's Eye detector with a reconstructed primary energy of about 320 EeV, is compared to simulated shower profiles. The…
The concept of Universal Shower Profile is used to characterize the average behavior of high energy cosmic rays. The shape variables contain important information about composition. They are independent of the primary cross-section by…
We discuss the electromagnetic collisions of high energy protons, pions and kaons with atmospheric nuclei. In particular, we use the equivalent photon approximation to estimate (i) the diffractive collisions where the projectile scatters…
The Pierre Auger Observatory is the world's largest detector of ultra--high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). It uses an array of fluorescence telescopes and particle detectors at the ground to obtain detailed measurements of the energy…
In this paper we review air shower data related to the mass composition of cosmic rays above 10$^{15}$ eV. After explaining the basic relations between air shower observables and the primary mass and energy of cosmic rays, we present…
A re-examination of the atmospheric cascade profile of the highest energy cosmic ray is presented. The study includes air-shower simulations considering different cross sections, particle multiplicity and variation of the…
Elementary particle physics using beams from accelerators and cosmic rays are compared. In particular, recent results on the energy evolution of charged particle multiplicities, the differences between quark and gluon jets, and scaling…