Study of EAS neutron component temporal structure

Abstract

The neutron component of Extensive Air Showers (EAS) carries information about the primary cosmic ray flux as well as about parameters of hadronic interactions at ultrahigh energies. We present here the data obtained with the "Neutron" array which is a prototype of a novel type EAS array PRISMA The prototype consists of 5 large area scintillator detectors (0.75 m 2 each) placed in the corners and in the center of 5 m side square. The scintillator consisting of an alloy of ZnS(Ag) and 6 LiF is shaped as a thin layer of grains covered with thin transparent plastic film.