Ядерна фізика та енергетика Nuclear Physics and Atomic Energy   ISSN: 1818-331X (Print), 2074-0565 (Online)   Publisher: Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine   Languages: Ukrainian, English   Periodicity: 4 times per year   Open access peer reviewed journal

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Z. A. Nasser, I. F. Hussein^*, A. A. Al-Rubaiee

Mustansiriyah University, College of Science, Department of Physics, Baghdad, Iraq

^*Corresponding author. E-mail address: itabfadhil@uomustansiriyah.edu.iq

Abstract: Identifying the longitudinal profile of extensive air showers (EAS) is crucial for investigating the origin and characteristics of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. This study simulates gamma-ray-induced EAS in the knee 10¹⁵ eV and ankle 10¹⁸ - 10²⁰ eV energy ranges using the AIR-shower Extended Simulations (AIRES) system (Version 19.04.10) with QGSJET II 04 and EPOS LHC hadronic models at zenith angles of 0° and 25°. The shower patterns are parameterized using a Gaussian amplitude function, which reveals that the shower maximum X_max develops logarithmically with primary energy. Gamma-ray density peaks in deeper atmospheric layers ∼580 - 864 g/cm² for higher energies. Particularly, slanted showers 25° display wider particle distributions due to longer atmospheric path lengths, which is consistent with CORSIKA. These findings limit the harmonic interaction models for the Telescope Array and LHAASO experiments, thereby reducing systematic errors in cosmic ray composition analysis.

Keywords: gamma-ray, longitudinal development, AIRES system, knee and ankle regions, extensive air shower.

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