2010/06/30 by Grzegorz Wilk, Zbigniew Włodarczyk, Zbigniew Wlodarczyk · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Earth Systems and Cosmic Evolution #astro-ph.HE #hep-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0954-3899/38/8/085201
published as J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys. 38 (2011) 085201 · Version accepted by J.Phys. G (2011)
arxiv created 2011/06/08 · openalex publication_date 2011/06/23 · arxiv updated 2011/11/28 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
We present arguments aiming at reconciling apparently contradictory results concerning the chemical composition of cosmic rays (CRs) of highest energy, coming recently from the Auger and HiRes collaborations. In particular, we argue that the energy dependence of the mean value and root mean square fluctuation of shower maxima distributions observed by the Auger experiment are not necessarily caused by the change of the nuclear composition of primary CRs. They could also be caused by the change of distribution of the first interaction point in the cascade. A new observable, in which this influence is strongly suppressed, is proposed and tested.