Comparing the energy spectra of ultra-high energy cosmic rays measured with EAS arrays

Abstract

The energy spectra of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (CRs) measured with giant extensive air shower (EAS) arrays exhibit discrepancies between the flux intensities and/or estimated CR energies exceeding experimental errors. The well-known intensity correction factor due to the dispersion of the measured quantity in the presence of a rapidly falling energy spectrum is insufficient to explain the divergence. Another source of systematic energy determination error is proposed concerning the charged particle density measured with the surface arrays, which arises due to simplifications (namely, the superposition approximation) in nucleus-nucleus interaction description applied to the shower modeling. Making use of the essential correction factors results in congruous CR energy spectra within experimental errors. Residual differences in the energy scales of giant arrays can be attributed to the actual overall accuracy of the EAS detection technique used. CR acceleration and propagation model simulations using the dip and ankle scenarios of the transition from galactic to extragalactic CR components are in agreement with the combined energy spectrum observed with EAS arrays.

Accepted for publication in ApJ

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• A minimal width of the arrival direction distribution of ultra-high energy cosmic rays detected with the Yakutsk array
• Large-scale distribution of cosmic rays in right ascension as observed by the Yakutsk array at energies above $10^{18}$ eV
• A method to search for correlations of ultra-high energy cosmic ray masses with the large scale structures in the local galaxy density field