Study of radiation background at various high altitude locations in preparation for rare event search in cosmic rays

Abstract

Various phenomenological models presented over the years have hinted at the possible presence of strangelets, which are nuggets of Strange Quark Matter (SQM), in cosmic rays. One way to search for such rare events is through the deployment of large area Nuclear Track Detector (NTD) arrays at high mountain altitudes. Before the deployment of any such array can begin, a detailed study of the radiation background is essential. Also a proper understanding of the response of detectors exposed to extreme weather conditions is necessary. With that aim, pilot studies were carried out at various high altitude locations in India such as Darjeeling (2200 m a.m.s.l), Ooty (2200 m a.m.s.l) and Hanle (4500 m a.m.s.l). Small arrays of CR-39 as well as high threshold Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) detectors were given open air exposures for periods ranging from three months to two years. The findings of such studies are reported in this paper.

arXiv comment5 pages, 6 figures

References in corpus (8)

• Strangelet propagation and cosmic ray flux
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• How Can Strange Quark Matter Occur Deeply in the Atmosphere?
• Calibration of a solid state nuclear track detector (SSNTD) with high detection threshold to search for rare events in cosmic rays
• Propagation of Strange Quark Matter in the Atmosphere
• Propagation of strangelets in the Earth's atmosphere
• Multifragmentation model for the production of astrophysical strangelets
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Cited by in corpus (3)

• Calibration of Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors for Rare Event Searches
• Attenuation of electromagnetic radiation in Nuclear Track Detectors
• A comparative study of alternative methods to determine the response of poly-ethylene terephthalate nuclear track detector