Altitude Dependence of the Longitudinal Distribution of Atmospheric Čerenkov Radiation

Abstract

The longitudinal distribution of the Čerenkov radiation generated by the electron component of extensive cosmic ray air showers interacting with the earth's atmosphere was measured at -46 m and 3801 m elevation. Although the two distributions are similar, a somewhat larger number of showers with small Čerenkov radiation thickness at 3801 m suggests that those showers contain substantial light contributions from elevations where electron scattering is small.