On the chemical composition of cosmic rays of highest energy

Grzegorz Wilk (1) , Zbigniew Włodarczyk (2)

1 The Andrzej Sołtan Institute for Nuclear Studies
2 Institute of Physics

We present arguments aiming at reconciling apparently contradictory results concerning the chemical composition of cosmic rays of highest energy, coming recently from the Auger and HiRes collaborations. In particular, we argue that the energy dependence of the mean value and root mean square fluctuation of shower maxima distributions observed by the Auger experiment are not necessarily caused by the change of nuclear composition of primary cosmic rays. They could also be caused by the change of distribution of the first interaction point in the cascade. A new observable, in which this influence is strongly suppressed, is proposed and tested.

Mots clés: 96.50.sd; 96.50.sb; 13.85.Tp

Grzegorz Wilk, Zbigniew Włodarczyk. On the chemical composition of cosmic rays of highest energy. Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics, 2011, 38 (8), pp.85201. ⟨10.1088/0954-3899/38/8/085201⟩. ⟨hal-00637340⟩