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Published September 15, 1951 | Published
Journal Article Open

Cosmic rays at airplane altitudes

Abstract

A continuation of experiments made in a B-29 airplane to investigate the properties of cosmic rays is herein reported. Part I describes results on the latitude effect at 30,000 ft measured with counter telescopes and with both shielded and unshielded ionization chambers, from 64° geomagnetic north to the magnetic equator. A considerably larger latitude effect for the shielded ionization chamber than with the unshielded one or with counter telescopes indicates a definite change in the character of the radiation as one goes toward the equator at this altitude. The "knee" of the latitude effect is investigated in detail by a number of similar flights. Part II describes measurements made on density and formation of extended air showers. The apparatus was of such a nature as to be sensitive to relatively sparse showers. The densities obtained can be fitted to an integral power law spectrum with a negative exponent of 1.50±0.05 for an altitude of 30,000 ft. Intensity-altitude curves are presented, showing that the development of smaller showers takes place nearer the top of the atmosphere than does the development of large showers. Derived zenith-angle dependencies at various altitudes are also given.

Additional Information

© 1951 by The American Physical Society. Received 25 May 1951. Supported in part by the joint program of the ONR and AEC. In conclusion, the authors wish to thank the Office of Naval Research and the United States Air Forces for making these flights possible. Particularly, we express our appreciation to the officers and men stationed at Inyokern, California. We also thank Dr. R.F. Christy for his many helpful discussions.

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Created:
August 21, 2023
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October 17, 2023