Performance of the MACRO detector at gran sasso: Moon shadow and seasonal variations Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • The MACRO underground detector at Gran Sasso has recorded about 30 million muon events in the period 1989-1995. We have analyzed these data to look for time variations and to study the pointing capabilities of the apparatus in the search for astrophysical point sources. We have observed a 3% seasonal variation of the high energy muon rate, due to atmospheric temperature variations, in agreement with theoretical predictions. We report also the detection of the moon shadowing effect with a statistical significance of 3.7 . The results obtained straighten the possibility that a "muon astronomy" using underground experiments is possible.

published proceedings

  • Nuclear and Particle Physics Proceedings

author list (cited authors)

  • collaboration, T. M.

citation count

  • 2

complete list of authors

  • collaboration, The MACRO

publication date

  • January 1998