Related papers: Comparison of available measurements of the absolu…
Experimental results of the absolute air-fluorescence yield are given very often in different units (photons/MeV or photons/m) and for different wavelength intervals. In this work we present a comparison of available results normalized to…
The air-fluorescence yield is a key parameter for determining the energy scale of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays detected by fluorescence telescopes. A compilation of the available measurements of the absolute air-fluorescence yield…
The absolute value of the air-fluorescence yield is a key parameter for the energy reconstruction of extensive air showers registered by fluorescence telescopes. In previous publications, we reported a detailed Monte Carlo simulation of the…
The uncertainty in the absolute value of the air-fluorescence yield still puts a severe limit on the accuracy in the primary energy of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. The precise measurement of this parameter in laboratory is in turn…
The air fluorescence technique has long been used to detect extensive air showers and to reconstruct its geometry and energy. The fluorescence photon yield of an electron in air is of main importance in the reconstruction procedure.…
In the fluorescence detection of ultra high energy (> 10**18 eV) cosmic rays, the number of emitted fluorescence photons is assumed to be proportional to the energy deposited in air by shower particles. We have performed measurements of the…
A model recently proposed for the calculation of air-fluorescence yield excited by electrons is revisited. Improved energy distributions of secondary electrons and a more realistic Monte Carlo simulation including some additional processes…
Detection of the air-fluorescence radiation induced by the charged particles of extensive air showers is a well-established technique for the study of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. Fluorescence telescopes provide a nearly calorimetric…
For the calorimetric determination of the primary energy of extensive air showers, measured by fluorescence telescopes, a precise knowledge of the conversion factor (fluorescence yield) between the deposited energy in the atmosphere and the…
The fluorescence yield for dry air and pure nitrogen excited by electrons is calculated using a combination of well-established molecular properties and experimental data of the involved cross sections. Particular attention has been paid to…
We have performed a measurement of the absolute yield of fluorescence photons at the Fermilab Test Beam. A systematic uncertainty at 5% level was achieved by the use of Cherenkov radiation as a reference calibration light source. A…
An accurate knowledge of the fluorescence yield and its dependence on atmospheric properties such as pressure, temperature or humidity is essential to obtain a reliable measurement of the primary energy of cosmic rays in experiments using…
In a test experiment at the Final Focus Test Beam of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, the fluorescence yield of 28.5 GeV electrons in air and nitrogen was measured. The measured photon yields between 300 and 400 nm at 1 atm and 29…
The nitrogen fluorescence induced in air is used to detect ultra-high energy cosmic rays and to measure their energy. The precise knowledge of the absolute fluorescence yield is the key quantity to improve the accuracy on the cosmic ray…
One of the goals of the AIRFLY (AIR FLuorescence Yield) experiment is to measure the absolute fluorescence yield induced by electrons in air to better than 10% precision. We introduce a new technique for measurement of the absolute…
The air fluorescence technique is used to detect ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR), and to estimate their energy. Of fundamental importance is the photon yield due to excitation by electrons, in air of various densities and…
Several experiments measure the fluorescence light produced by extensive air showers in the atmosphere. This light is converted into a longitudinal shower profile from which information on the primary energy and composition is derived. The…
Measurements are reported of the yield and spectrum of fluorescence, excited by a 28.5 GeV electron beam, in air at a range of pressures of interest to ultra-high energy cosmic ray detectors. The wavelength range was 300 - 420 nm. System…
A measurement of the absolute fluorescence yield of the 337 nm nitrogen band, relevant to ultra-high energy cosmic ray (UHECR) detectors, is reported. Two independent calibrations of the fluorescence emission induced by a 120 GeV proton…
Measurements are reported on the fluorescence of air as a function of depth in electromagnetic showers initiated by bunches of 28.5 GeV electrons. The light yield is compared with the expected and observed depth profiles of ionization in…