Related papers: Reconstructing Air-Shower Observables using a Univ…
Air shower universality states that the electromagnetic part of hadron-induced extensive air showers (EAS) can be completely described in terms of the primary energy and shower age. In addition, simulations show that the muon part is well…
The determination of the primary energy of extensive air showers using the fluorescence detection technique requires an estimation of the energy carried away by particles that do not deposit all their energy in the atmosphere. This…
Extensive air showers initiated by ultra-high energy cosmic rays are sensitive to the details of hadronic interactions models, so we present the main results obtained using the data of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The depth at which the…
We present a method for testing the predictions of hadronic interaction models and improving their consistency with observed two-dimensional distributions of the depth of shower maximum, $X_\text{max}$, and signal at the ground level as a…
Ultrahigh energy cosmic ray air showers probe particle physics at energies beyond the reach of accelerators. Here we introduce a new method to test hadronic interaction models without relying on the absolute energy calibration, and apply it…
Extensive air showers are the result of billions of particle reactions initiated by single cosmic rays at ultra-high energy. Their characteristics are sensitive both to the mass of the primary cosmic ray and to the fine details of hadronic…
The number of muons in extensive air showers predicted using LHC-tuned hadronic interaction models, such as EPOS-LHC and QGSJetII-04, is smaller than observed in showers recorded by leading cosmic ray experiments. In this paper, we present…
The hybrid design of the Pierre Auger Observatory allows for the measurement of a number of properties of extensive air showers initiated by ultra-high energy cosmic rays. By comparing these measurements to predictions from air shower…
We present a reconstruction algorithm for extensive air showers with zenith angles between 65$^\circ$ and 85$^\circ$ measured with radio antennas in the 30-80 MHz band. Our algorithm is based on a signal model derived from CoREAS…
We test the predictions of hadronic interaction models regarding the depth of maximum of air-shower profiles, $X_{max}$, and ground-particle signals in water-Cherenkov detectors at 1000 m from the shower core, $S(1000)$, using the data from…
The Pierre Auger Observatory allows the measurement of both longitudinal profiles and lateral particle distributions of high-energy showers. The former trace the overall shower development, mainly of the electromagnetic component close to…
The longitudinal profile of extensive air showers is sensitive to the energy and type/mass of the primary particle. One of its characteristics, the atmospheric depth of shower maximum, is often used to reconstruct the elemental composition…
Air shower simulation programs are essential tools for the analysis of data from cosmic ray experiments and for planning the layout of new detectors. They are used to estimate the energy and mass of the primary particle. Unfortunately the…
The reconstruction of extensive air showers (arrival direction, core position and energy estimation) by the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory is discussed together with the corresponding accuracy. We determine the angular…
The characteristics of extensive air showers are sensitive to the details of hadronic interactions at energies and in kinematic regions beyond those tested by human-made accelerators. Uncertainties on extrapolations of the hadronic…
The dependence of atmospheric conditions on altitude and time have to be known at the site of an air shower experiment for accurate reconstruction of extensive air showers and their simulations. The height-profile of atmospheric depth is of…
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…
Radio detection of extensive air showers enables near-continuous observation and precise measurements of the shower geometry and the depth of shower maximum, $X_{\rm max}$. Beyond $X_{\rm max}$, the longitudinal shower development follows a…
The combination of fluorescence and surface detectors at the Pierre Auger Observatory offers unprecedented precision in testing models of hadronic interactions at center-of-mass energies around 70 TeV and beyond. However, for some time,…
The mass composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays can be studied from the distributions of the depth of shower maximum and/or the muon shower size. Here, we study the dependence of the mean muon shower size on the depth of shower…