High-energy N particles in extensive air showers at 800 g/cm²

Abstract

The results on high-energy N particles in EAS using a total absorption spectrometer for energy measurement are presented. They are compared with results from other experiments and calculations based upon plausible models of high energy interactions. (1) As expected, the NAP lateral distribution becomes steeper for particles of higher threshold energies. (2) Contrary to expectation, the lateral distribution becomes flatter with increasing shower size. The implication of this anomalous behavior in terms of interaction characteristics at energies > 10¹⁴ eV is briefly discussed. (3) For a given size, showers with steeper electron lateral distribution have more NAPs. (4) Except for the behavior of the lateral distribution as a function of size, all the other results can be explained in terms of models in which p_T and inelasticity distributions are invariant and some fraction (∼15%) of nucleon-antinucleon pair production is assumed.