### MOMENTUM SPECTRUM AND POSITIVE EXCESS OF $mu$-MESONSMOMENTUM SPECTRUM AND POSITIVE EXCESS OF $mu$-MESONS

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 Author Pine, J. ♦ Davisson, R. J. ♦ Greisen, K. Source United States Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information Content type Text Language English
 Subject Keyword PHYSICS ♦ ATMOSPHERE- COSMIC RADIATION- DISTRIBUTION- ELASTICITY- ELECTRIC CHARGES- INTERACTIONS- NUMERICALS- PIONS- PRODUCTION- PROTONS ♦ COSMIC RADIATION- DISTRIBUTION- ELECTRIC CHARGES- ENERGY- ENERGY RANGE- GEV RANGE- INSTRUMENTS- LEVELS- LOSSES- MAGNETIC FIELDS- MEASURED VALUES- MOMENTUM- MOMENTUM RANGE- MUONS- POSITIVE EXCESS- SEA LEVEL- SPECTROMETERS Abstract The absolute spectram and positive excess of cosmicray mu -mesons near sea level were measured in the range 2 to 175 Bev/c. The magnetic spectrometer and the method of data reduction are described in detail. The integral spectrum was compared with the range distribution in the earth, and the agreement indicates that there is no serious error in the theoretical expression for the rate of energy loss. The pi -meson production spectrum was computed and found to fit a power law with exponent --2.64. Also the spectrum of the pion positive excess was obtained, which is related to the pion production by primary protons in their first collisions. It is concluded that at 10/sup 12/ ev per nucleon most of the primary cosmic-ray energy is carried by protons, and that the proportion of their energy given to pions in a single interaction is in the neighhorhood of 10%. (auth) ISSN 00296341 Educational Use Research Learning Resource Type Article Publisher Date 1959-12-16 Publisher Department Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N.Y. Journal Nuovo Cimento Volume Number 14 Organization Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N.Y.