Abstract
THE intensity of several ‘‘components of the cosmic radiation varies with atmospheric depth more rapidly than the intensity of the so-called total radiation (curves of Pfotzer and Millican) : for example, showers of penetrating particles measured with a counter arrangement vary according to an exponential law e-x/d, where x is the atmospheric depth in gm./cm.2 and d ∼ 100 gm./cm.2 1. The cross-section for the collision of a primary shower-producing particle with a nucleus in air is of the order 2·5 × 1025 cm.2. Neutrons, protons, multiple nuclear disintegrations, large bursts and slow mesons show similar rapid decrease with increasing depth.
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References
Phys. Rev., 71, 453 (1947). The radiation producing these showers does not show east-west asymmetry at the altitude of S. Paulo, as was, shown by P. Saraiva and G. Wataghin.
"Symposium sobre raios cosmicos", Acad. Bras. Sci. (1941).
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WATAGHIN, G. Showers of Penetrating Particles. Nature 161, 91–92 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1038/161091b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/161091b0
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