Test of hadronic interaction models with data from the Pierre Auger Observatory

TL;DR

This paper tests hadronic interaction models using data from the Pierre Auger Observatory, comparing measurements of air shower profiles and particle distributions to evaluate simulation accuracy at ultra-high energies.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive comparison of air shower measurements with simulation predictions, focusing on the muonic component sensitive to high-energy hadronic interactions.

Findings

Discrepancies between observed and simulated muon signals.

Constraints on hadronic interaction models at ultra-high energies.

Insights into the development of extensive air showers.

Abstract

The Pierre Auger Observatory allows the measurement of both longitudinal profiles and lateral particle distributions of high-energy showers. The former trace the overall shower development, mainly of the electromagnetic component close to the core where the latter reflect the particle densities in the tail of the shower far away from the core and are sensitive to both the muonic and electromagnetic components. Combining the two complementary measurements, predictions of air shower simulations are tested. In particular the muon component of the tank signals, which is sensitive to hadronic interactions at high energy, is studied with several independent methods. Implications for the simulation of hadronic interactions at ultra-high energy are discussed.