Mainz 2004 – scientific programme

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T: Teilchenphysik

T 100: Kosmische Strahlung I

T 100.8: Talk

Monday, March 29, 2004, 17:35–17:50, RW 2

Muon pair production by cosmic muons in the ALEPH detector — •F. MACIUC, C. Grupen, A. Mailov, and N.O. Hashim — Fachbereich Physik, Universität Siegen, D-57068 Siegen, Germany

The knowledge of muon interactions in matter is essential in Cosmic Ray Physics. We investigate the muon pair production (tridents), the pure QED interaction, without considering the analogous deep-inelastic process.

Our group (CosmoALEPH) used the ALEPH detector, at the CERN-LEP e⁺ e⁻ storage ring, to detect cosmic muons that penetrate to a depth of more than 320 m.w.e. underground. The precision and composition of the detector allows a search for tridents with their vertex inside the detector. A sample of candidates is obtained and a comparison between candidates and the expected rate of events is performed.

Rare and thus hard to detect, muon tridents need a careful analysis of each individual candidate. Methods to separate this process from more “mundane” e.m. interactions are discussed.

The QED cross-section and an analytic approximation are compared, Nuclear Form Factor contributions to the cross-section are estimated and correlations between these theoretical aspects and observations are studied.