Particle and Astroparticle Physics Seminars

Towards a measurement of the iron spectrum in cosmic rays with VERITAS

Henrike Fleischhack

DESY-Zeuthen

Measuring the element-dependent energy spectra of cosmic rays plays an important role in understanding their acceleration and propagation. Most current results are obtained either from direct measurements by balloon- or satellite-borne detectors, or from indirect measurements by air shower detector arrays on the Earth�~@~Ys surface. Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs), used primarily for γ-ray astronomy, can also be used for cosmic-ray physics. They are able to measure Cherenkov light emitted both by heavy nuclei and by secondary particles produced in air showers, and are thus sensitive to the charge and energy of cosmic ray particles with energies of tens to hundreds of TeV.

In this talk, a likelihood method will be presented which improves the reconstruction of iron-induced air showers, as well as the suppression of backgrounds from lighter elements.