Behaviour of the EAS Age Parameter in the Knee Energy Region

TL;DR

This study investigates the behavior of the EAS age parameter in the knee energy region using simulated and experimental data, focusing on electron distribution and the local age parameter to improve understanding of hadronic interactions.

Contribution

It introduces the local age parameter and compares electron distribution models, enhancing multiparameter analysis of EAS for primary composition insights.

Findings

Differences observed between EGS4 and NKG electron density outputs.

The local age parameter effectively characterizes lateral distribution profiles.

Analysis supports including lateral age in EAS studies for better primary composition estimation.

Abstract

Analyzing simulated EAS events generated with the CORSIKA code, the characteristics of lateral distribution of electrons in EAS around the knee energy region of the primary energy spectrum have been studied and compared with experimental observations. The differences between the EGS4 and the NKG output of CORSIKA in respect to electron radial density distribution have been investigated. The relation between lateral and longitudinal age parameters has been studied after introducing the notion of the local age parameter that reflects the profile of the lateral distribution of electrons in EAS. The present analysis motivates the inclusion of the lateral shower age in a multiparameter study of EAS to extract information on hadronic interactions and primary composition.