Electronic Component of Cosmic Rays in the Low Atmosphere. II. Experimental

A comparison is made between the results of some cosmic ray counter experiments and the numerical values obtained in a preceding paper (Part I—Theoretical) for the number of secondary electrons in the low atmosphere. This comparison seems to give the following conclusions: (1) Even at 3000-4000 meters above sea level the electron component is not in equilibrium with the meson component, regardless of what may be the background of slow mesons. (2) At 3500 meters above sea level the electronic component contains some electrons of high energy which are not secondaries of mesons with 2.3×${10}^{-6\mathrm{}}$ sec. lifetime. (3) The slow mesons are negligible at sea level and their intensity increases rapidly with height, roughly as the electron component.