Measurements of energy loss of cosmic ray μ - mesons and protons

Abstract

The aim of the work concerns the use of Conversi Counters (Neon Flash Tubes), in conjunction with a nuclear active particle spectrograph, to measure the energy loss of mesons and protons of known momentum, in the range 0.1 - 10 GeV/c. The experimental results are related to theoretical work in this field, with special reference to that of Sternheimer (1956), and Lloyd (1960).The results show that neon flash tubes are satisfactory indicators of energy loss for mesons, and their performance is in substantial agreement with expectation on the basis of the model for flash tube behaviour suggested by Lloyd (1960). The situation concerning the energy loss for protons is that the data are not sufficiently precise to allow a satisfactory comparison to be made. Some additional results have been taken from the plastic scintillator detector in the apparatus. The mean pulse amplitude from the plastic scintillator has been taken as a measure of energy loss, for mesons and protons of various momenta. Good agreement with theory has been shown for mesons. Some comparison has been outlined between the results, and the work of other authors using the same and other techniques. Results were also obtained from a water Čerenkov detector, which operated in the apparatus, to study the characteristics of Čerenkov pulse amplitude versus momentum for mesons.