Measurement of Light Emission from Remote Cosmic-Ray Air Showers

Abstract

Extensive air-shower trajectories and sizes (numbers of charged particles) have been measured using an optical detection system at Volcano Ranch Station near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Light produced by atmospheric scintillation and Cherenkov emission by shower particles was measured at distances of 0.7 to \ensuremath{\sim} 10 km. The shower sizes determined by the optical measurements are in satisfactory agreement (an average of 10% higher) with measurements by the ground-level scintillation-counter array at Volcano Ranch.