Multiple muons in cosmic rays and the single source model of the knee

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Abstract
In previous work we have argued that the well known `knee' in the cosmic ray energy spectrum (at ~3 PeV) is anomalously sharp and cannot be due to the usually claimed Galactic modulation (GM) mechanism. Instead we claim that it is due, largely, to particles from a single, local, recent source (the single source model (SSM)). We have examined many aspects of cosmic ray physics and found support for the model. Here, we examine results from the large underground detectors which have been operated over the last decade or so - and which have given the multiplicity distribution of energetic muons (mainly in the TeV region). There should be a signal in the multiplicity distribution which is conditioned by the primary mass composition and spectral shape. Our contention is that the multiple muon results are inconsistent with the GM mechanism but are, in fact, consistent with expectation from the SSM.
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