Abstract
THE preliminary results of the Alagez Expedition of 1944 for the study of cosmic rays have been published in the U.S.S.R. Observations have been made each year since 1942 from a camp on Mt. Alagez in Armenia at a height of about 10,000 ft. above sea-level. All instruments, supplies and camp equipment had to be carried on pack animals. As conditions are extremely favourable for the study of cosmic rays, it has now been decided to build a permanent station there, with an observation post at about 13,000 ft. It is now believed that cosmic rays contain a third element in addition to mesotrons and electrons. The particles which make up this third element have a greater ionizing effect on air than either mesotrons or electrons. The latest expedition spent three months in attempting to discover the nature of this third component, especially the mass of the particles of which it is composed. The difficulty was to separate them from the other already known components. New methods were evolved, and some new and extremely sensitive instruments built. The particles were found to have properties very similar to those of protons. The part they play is apparently more significant than was at first realized. Only preliminary data, however, have been obtained, and the material is still being studied. The expedition made several thousand observations during great cosmic ray showers for the purpose of determining the energy of the cosmic particles which cause the showers. It was found to be enormous. A special kind of shower, occurring over a very small area, but including a tremendous number of particles, was also discovered.
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Cosmic Ray Investigations in Armenia. Nature 155, 386 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1038/155386c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/155386c0