Search

We put together the experimental results on muon component of extensive air showers (EAS) which were gained with various techniques at the detector complex of the Tien Shan mountain station. According to this comparison, the problem of the EAS muon content in the range of primary cosmic ray energies (1-100)PeV seems to be more complicated than it was usually supposed. Generally, from the models of nuclear interaction it follows that the EAS which have produced gamma-hadron families in the Tien Shan X-ray emulsion chamber did preferably originate from interaction of the light cosmic ray nuclei, such that their muon abundance must be ~1.5 times below an average calculated over all showers. In contrary, the experimental muon counts in the EAS with families demonstrate a (1.5-2)-fold excess above the average, and this difference starts to be observable in the showers with the energy above the 3PeV knee of the primary cosmic ray spectrum. Later on, the rise of muon production in EAS after the knee was confirmed at Tien Shan by another experiment on detection of the neutrons stemmed from interaction of cosmic ray muons. Thus, the results obtained by the two completely different methods do mutually agree with each other but contradict to the common models of hadron interaction., Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures Submitted to Astroparticle Physics

We report the observation results of the hard radiation flashes which accompanied the lightning discharges above the mountains of Northern Tien Shan. Time series of the counting rate intensity, numerical estimations of absolute flux, and energy distribution of accelerated electrons and of (20-2000)keV gamma rays were obtained at the height of 3700m a.s.l., immediately within thunderclouds, and in closest vicinity ($<$100m) to discharge region. Two different kinds of radiation emission events are presented here: a relatively prolonged rise of gamma ray intensity with minute-scale duration (the thunderstorm ground enhancement, TGE) which has preceded a negative field variation, and a short sub-millisecond radiation burst, which accompanied a close lightning discharge in thundercloud. It was revealed also an indication to positron generation in thunderclouds at the time of gamma ray emission, as well as modulation of the neutron counting rate in Tien~Shan neutron monitor which was operating at a (1.5-2)km order distance from the region of lightning development.

We present a description of the new complex installation for the study of extensive air showers which was created at the Tien Shan mountain cosmic ray station, as well as the results of the test measurements made there in 2014-2016. At present, the system for registration of electromagnetic shower component consists of $\sim$100 detector points built on the basis of plastic scintillator plates with the sensitive area of 0.25m$^2$ and 1m$^2$, spread equidistantly over $\sim$10$^4$m$^2$ space. The dynamic range of scintillation amplitude measurements is currently about $(3-7)\cdot 10^4$, and there is a prospect of it being extended up to $\sim$10$^6$. The direction of shower arrival is defined by signal delays from a number of the scintillators placed cross-wise at the periphery of the detector system. For the investigation of nuclear active shower components there was created a multi-tier 55m$^2$ ionization-neutron calorimeter with a sum absorber thickness of $\sim$1000g/cm$^2$, typical spatial resolution of the order of 10cm, and dynamic range of ionization measurement channel about $\sim$10$^5$. Also, the use of saturation-free neutron detectors is anticipated for registration of the high- and low-energy hadron components in the region of shower core. A complex of underground detectors is designed for the study of muonic and penetrative nuclear-active components of the shower. The full stack of data acquisition, detector calibration, and shower parameters restoration procedures are now completed, and the newly obtained shower size spectrum and lateral distribution of shower particles occur in agreement with conventional data. Future studies in the field of $10^{14}-10^{17}$eV cosmic ray physics to be held at the new shower installation are discussed., Comment: 32 pages, 20 figures. Submitted to Nucl. Instrum. Methods A

The events of multiple neutron production under 2000g/cm$^2$ thick rock absorber were studied at the Tien~Shan mountain cosmic ray station, at the altitude of 3340m above the sea level. From comparison of the experimental and Geant4 simulated neutron multiplicity spectra it follows that the great bulk of these events can be explained by interaction of cosmic ray muons with internal material of the neutron detector. In synchronous operation of the underground neutron monitor with the Tien~Shan shower detector system it was found that the characteristics of the muonic component of extensive air showers which is seemingly responsible for generation of the neutron events underground do change noticeably within the energy range of the knee of primary cosmic ray spectrum. Some peculiar shower events were detected when the neutron signal reveals itself only $\sim$(100--1000)\,$\mu$s after the passage of the shower particles front which probably means an existence of corresponding delay of the muon flux in such events., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. Sent to Journal of Physics: Conference Series