Atmosphere-skimming showers are initiated by cosmic rays with incoming directions such that the full development of the cascade occurs inside the atmosphere without ever reaching the ground. This new class of showers has been observed in balloon-borne experiments such as ANITA, but a characterisation of their properties is lacking. The interplay between the Earth's magnetic field, the long distances over which atmosphere-skimming showers develop, and the low density of the atmosphere they traverse gives rise to several effects that are not seen in downward-going cascades, and require detailed modeling. In this article, we used the latest version of the ZHAireS-RASPASS shower simulation program to tackle this problem, and dwell on the particular phenomena that arises from the peculiar environment in which these showers develop. We focus in particular on the properties of the longitudinal profile of the shower and its fluctuations as a function of cosmic-ray energy, direction and primary mass. We have also studied the phase-space of cosmic-ray arrival directions where detection in high-altitude experiments is more likely, and have found that only in a small range of directions the showers are sufficiently developed before reaching the altitude of the detector. Our results are relevant for the design of high-altitude and in particular balloon-borne experiments, and for the interpretation of the data they collect.

中文翻译：

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高空实验中掠过大气层的宇宙射线簇射的表征


掠过大气层的流星雨是由具有入射方向的宇宙射线引发的，因此级联的完全发展发生在大气内部，而不会到达地面。这种新型流星雨已在 ANITA 等气球传播实验中观察到，但缺乏对其特性的表征。地球磁场、掠过大气层流星雨形成的长距离以及它们所穿越的低密度大气层之间的相互作用，产生了一些在向下的级联中看不到的效应，需要详细的建模。在本文中，我们使用最新版本的ZHaireS-RASPASS流星雨模拟程序来解决这个问题，并详细讨论这些流星雨发展的特殊环境所产生的特殊现象。我们特别关注流星雨纵向轮廓的特性及其作为宇宙射线能量、方向和主要质量的函数的波动。我们还研究了在高空实验中更有可能探测到的宇宙射线到达方向的相空间，并发现只有在小范围的方向上，流星雨才能在到达探测器的高度之前充分发育。我们的结果与高空实验（特别是气球实验）的设计以及对所收集数据的解释相关。