Response of a Water Cherenkov Detector to Oblique and Quasi-Horizontal Muons.

C. BONIFAZI; P. BAULEO; A. FERRERO; A. FILEVICH; A. REGUERA

AUGER - GAP Notes

Pierre Auger Collaboration

Año: 2001 vol. 018

Extensive measurements of background muons were performed in order to study the behavior of the Buenos Aires Water Cherenkov prototype detector of the Pierre Auger Project. The muon directions were selected by scintillator telescopes, and the charge signals collected for the different directions of incidence were normalized to that corresponding to the standard vertical and central muon. The range of zenithal angles studied was 0° to 85°, and the 32 selected orientations provide, by symmetry, information covering a total of 141 situations of incidence of muons on the detector. In the present work we have found experimentally a remarkable proportionality between the charge collected and the effective muon track length, independently of the zenithal or azimuthal incidence direction.