Measurement of the fluctuations in the number of muons in inclined air showers with the Pierre Auger Observatory

F. RIEHN; S. J. SCIUTTO; THE PIERRE AUGER COLLABORATION.

Madison

Conferencia; 36th International Cosmic Ray Conference; 2019

We present the first measurement of the fluctuations in the number of muons in inclined air showerswith energies above 4EeV measured with the Pierre Auger Observatory. We find that theresults agree well with simulations within the experimental uncertainties. In contrast, the measurementof the average number of muons has previously been found to deviate substantially fromthe predictions by high-energy hadronic interaction models. We analyse the implications of thesefindings for our understanding of hadronic interactions, especially to those at the highest energies.