Abstract
We present a new measurement of the energy spectrum of iron nuclei in cosmic rays from 20 TeV to 500 TeV. The measurement makes use of a template-based analysis method, which, for the first time, is applied to the energy reconstruction of iron-induced air showers recorded by the VERITAS array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The event selection makes use of the direct Cherenkov light which is emitted by charged particles before the first interaction, as well as other parameters related to the shape of the recorded air shower images. The measured spectrum is well described by a power law dFdE=f0·(EE0)-γ over the full energy range, with γ=2.82±0.30(stat)-0.27+0.24(syst) and f0=(4.82±0.98(stat)-2.70+2.12(syst))×10-7 m-2 s-1 TeV-1 sr-1 at E0=50 TeV, with no indication of a cutoff or spectral break. The measured differential flux is compatible with previous results, with improved statistical uncertainty at the highest energies.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 022009 |
| Journal | Physical Review D |
| Volume | 98 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 15 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:VERITAS is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution, and by NSERC in Canada. We acknowledge the excellent work of the technical support staff at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory and at the collaborating institutions in the construction and operation of the instrument. The VERITAS Collaboration is grateful to Trevor Weekes for his seminal contributions and leadership in the field of VHE gamma-ray astrophysics, which made this study possible. H. F. gratefully acknowledges support through the Helmholtz Alliance for Astroparticle Physics.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Physical Society.