Method for mass analysis of primary cosmic ray particles with the SPHERE-2 system
The results of simulation showing the possibility of mass analysis of primary cosmic-ray particles in the energy range 1016–1018 eV with the use of the SPHERE-2 balloon system are reported. The system is lifted by a tethered balloon at an altitude of 1 km. It has almost continuous sensitivity at an area of about 1 km2 that is viewed by 109 photoelectron multipliers. This property makes it possible to analyze in detail the spatial distribution of Cherenkov light in extensive air showers both in the immediate vicinity of the EAS core and at large distances from it.