Abstract

Galactic Cosmic Rays are high-energy particles from stars or remnants of a supernova. These

particles impinge impinge upon the Earth's atmosphere, in the form of positively charged particles, protons. Protons interact with atmospheric nuclei to produce a cascade of high energy secondary particles known as a Galactic Cosmic Ray Shower. This post-collision secondary shower depends on altitude, latitude, solar activity, and air pressure. The Regener-Pfotzer (R-P) maximum, which is between 15-25 km, is the altitude where the maximum number of detections is measured with a Geiger Müller detector. In order to quantify particle collisions, a payload was flown containing four Geiger counters in a cross configuration comparing and measuring vertical, horizontal, and omnidirectional coincidences. Analyzed data showed an R-P maximum occurring at different altitudes depending on the direction of the coincidences, consistent with previous research.

Keywords: Regener-Pfotzer, cosmic rays

How to Cite:

Agrimson, E. P., (2022) “Balloon Borne Investigation Zenith Angle Dependence of Cosmic Ray Showers”, Academic High Altitude Conference 2020(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/ahac.11655