Feasibility for p+/p- flow-ratio evaluation in the 0.5 - 1.5 TeV primary energy range, based on Moon-shadow muon measurements, to be carried out in the Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan, Experiment

TL;DR

This study assesses the feasibility of using Moon-shadow muon measurements at Teotihuacan to evaluate p+/p- flow ratios in the 0.5-1.5 TeV energy range, leveraging a high-statistics setup with reduced angular accuracy.

Contribution

It demonstrates the potential of a novel experimental approach using a pyramid-based muon detector for primary cosmic ray composition analysis in the specified energy range.

Findings

High-statistics Moon shadow observations are feasible at Teotihuacan.

Simulations show acceptable accuracy despite reduced angular resolution.

The method enables primary particle direction reconstruction with detailed statistical analysis.

Abstract

Calculations are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of Moon shadow observations for mean primary energies in the region 0.5-1.5 TeV using a muon detector operating under the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan, Mexico. Due to the small height of that monument (65 m), the experiment is capable of providing considerably high statistics, although with reduced angular accuracy for primary particle direction reconstruction. Our estimates are based on simulations of muon production and transport in the atmosphere by CORSIKA and along the body of the pyramid by GEANT4. The deflection of primaries in the earth magnetic field is calculated using the IGRF model. The statistics for the Moon shadow observations, which depends on different factors affecting the accuracy of the primary particle direction reconstruction, are analyzed in detail.