Testing the engineering sample of the NUCLEON setup on a pion beam

Results from testing the sample of the setup for the NUCLEON experiment aimed at studying the energy spectra and the charge composition of cosmic rays in the energy range of 1012–1015 eV are presented. The sample has been made approach the actual setup to the maximum degree. Charged particle beams with energies of 200–350 GeV have been used for testing. The problem of selecting high-energy events and the accuracy of energy measurements using the method being developed are discussed. This method is based on measuring the spatial flux density of secondary particles that are produced in the first act of inelastic nuclear interaction inside the target of the setup and pass through a thin converter layer in which the electromagnetic component is multiplied. The event selection efficiency is shown to be rather high. The precision in determining the energy (90–80%) using this method is in good agreement with simulation results (∼100-80%). The results of the study fully comply with the requirements of the NUCLEON experiment.