Abstract
I HAVE found experimental and theoretical evidence in studies of extensive air showers (EAS) that suggests that EAS initiated by a primary γ-ray (or electron) may be distinguished with a probability of >70% from those initiated by cosmic rays at energies ∼1012 eV (ref. 1). This distinction is made possible by the identification of a unique feature of the EAS Čerenkov radiation that is attributable to the penetrating muon component in selected EAS and thus only expected for EAS initiated by cosmic rays. The sensitivity of experiments used to search for point sources of primary γ-rays near Eγ ∼1012 eV has also been increased by the improved angular resolution possible with the new methods of Čerenkov detection of EAS.
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GRINDLAY, J. Possible Evidence for Pulsed ∼1012 eV Gamma Rays from NP 0532. Nature Physical Science 234, 153–155 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/physci234153a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/physci234153a0