Testing Hadronic Interaction Models with Cosmic Ray Measurements at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory
International Cosmic Ray Conference, pp. 357
Abstract
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory provides the opportunity to perform unique measurements of cosmic-ray air showers with its combination of a surface array and a deep detector. Electromagnetic particles and low-energy muons (∼GeV) are detected by IceTop, while a bundle of high-energy muons (>~400 GeV) can be measured in coincidence in IceCube. Predictions of air-shower observables based on simulations show a strong dependence on the choice of the high-energy hadronic interaction model. By reconstructing different composition-dependent observables, one can provide strong tests of hadronic interaction models, as these measurements should be consistent with one another. In this work, we present an analysis of air-shower data between 2.5 and 80 PeV, comparing the composition interpretation of measurements of the surface muon density, the slope of the IceTop lateral distribution function, and the energy loss of the muon bundle, using the models Sibyll 2.1, QGSJet-II.04 and EPOS-LHC. We observe inconsistencies in all models under consideration, suggesting they do not give an adequate description of experimental data. The results furthermore imply a significant uncertainty in the determination of the cosmic-ray mass composition through indirect measurements.
Authors 99
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Ghent University · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of Gent , B-9000 Gent , Belgium
III. Physikalisches Institut , RWTH Aachen University , D-52056 Aachen , Germany
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
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The University of Adelaide · University of Delaware
Affiliation as printed
Bartol Research Institute and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of Delaware , Newark , DE 19716 , USA
Department of Physics , University of Adelaide , Adelaide , 5005 , Australia
Bartol Research Institute and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
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Ghent University · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of Gent , B-9000 Gent , Belgium
III. Physikalisches Institut , RWTH Aachen University , D-52056 Aachen , Germany
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Université Libre de Bruxelles , Science Faculty CP230 , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology , Harvard University , Cambridge , MA 02138 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology , Harvard University , Cambridge , MA 02138 , USA
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , MA 02139 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Université Libre de Bruxelles , Science Faculty CP230 , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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University of California, Berkeley
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics , University of California , Berkeley , CA 94720 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie , Ruhr-Universität Bochum , D-44780 Bochum , Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory · University of California, Berkeley
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics , University of California , Berkeley , CA 94720 , USA
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , Berkeley , CA 94720 , USA
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University of Alberta · Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1 26 Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics,
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
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Ghent University · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of Gent , B-9000 Gent , Belgium
III. Physikalisches Institut , RWTH Aachen University , D-52056 Aachen , Germany
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Ghent University · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of Gent , B-9000 Gent , Belgium
III. Physikalisches Institut , RWTH Aachen University , D-52056 Aachen , Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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University of Alberta · Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1 26 Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics,
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
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The University of Adelaide · University of Delaware
Affiliation as printed
Bartol Research Institute and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of Delaware , Newark , DE 19716 , USA
Department of Physics , University of Adelaide , Adelaide , 5005 , Australia
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The University of Adelaide · University of Delaware
Affiliation as printed
Bartol Research Institute and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of Delaware , Newark , DE 19716 , USA
Department of Physics , University of Adelaide , Adelaide , 5005 , Australia
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Georgia Institute of Technology
Affiliation as printed
School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics , Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta , GA 30332 , USA
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , MA 02139 , USA
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , MA 02139 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) , Dienst ELEM , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) , Dienst ELEM , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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Ghent University · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of Gent , B-9000 Gent , Belgium
III. Physikalisches Institut , RWTH Aachen University , D-52056 Aachen , Germany
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Georgia Institute of Technology
Affiliation as printed
School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics , Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta , GA 30332 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) , Dienst ELEM , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) , Dienst ELEM , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) , Dienst ELEM , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Affiliation as printed
Institut für Physik , Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , D-12489 Berlin , Germany
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Ghent University · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of Gent , B-9000 Gent , Belgium
III. Physikalisches Institut , RWTH Aachen University , D-52056 Aachen , Germany
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , MA 02139 , USA
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Ghent University · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of Gent , B-9000 Gent , Belgium
III. Physikalisches Institut , RWTH Aachen University , D-52056 Aachen , Germany
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics , Southern University , Baton Rouge , LA 70813 , USA
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University of California, Berkeley
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics , University of California , Berkeley , CA 94720 , USA
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