Measurement of the elongation rate of extensive air showers produced by primary cosmic rays of energy above 2×1017eV

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Abstract
A measurement of the elongation rate, the rate of change of the depth of shower maximum with energy, has been made in air showers initiated by cosmic-ray primaries with energy in the range 2*1017-1020 eV. The measurement is based on the study of the rise times of over 13000 pulses recorded from the four 34 m2 water Cerenkov detectors of the Haverah Park array and on an application of the elongation rate theorem. The elongation rate is determined to be 70+or-5 g cm-2 per decade, averaged over the whole energy range, while for 35 events of primary energy greater than 5*1018 eV the corresponding value is 40+or-20 g cm-2 per decade. These results are independent of assumptions about features of high-energy interactions. The changes in mass composition, consistent with the authors' measurement and with different assumptions about nuclear interactions, are derived.

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