Muon counting with the underground muon detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory

SCORNAVACCHE, M.; AUGER COLLABORATION (VER F. SANCHEZ EN PUBL. ADJUNTA)

L'Aquila

Conferencia; Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR 2022); 2022

The Underground Muon Detector (UMD) aims to extend the detection range of the Pierre AugerObservatory to observe cosmic rays of energies greater than 1016.6 eV and performs a direct measurement ofthe muon component (sensitive observable to the mass composition) of the air showers. In this work, we willpresent an overview of the final design of the UMD and its reconstruction techniques alongside the observationsobtained during the engineering array phase. First results suggest that the current hadronic interaction modelshave a muon deficit at energies between 2×1017 eV and 2×1018 eV.