Lateral distribution of the muon component in the central part of EAS

Abstract

Using 50 000 recordings of muon densities at distances from the axis established with very high accuracy, the lateral distribution of muons from 2 to 30 m has been obtained. The interpretation of the shape of this distribution is discussed and compared with theoretical calculations. The experimental distribution is flatter than the theoretical one at small distances from the axis. This may be explained by the relative deficiency of small transverse momentum transfer in nucleon – air nucleus collisions.