Cascades of Nuclear Disintegrations Induced by the Cosmic Radiation

Energetic nuclear disintegrations induced by the $N$-component of the cosmic radiation have been studied by detection of the moderate energy neutrons released in the disintegrations themselves.The pulses of the neutron counters appeared on the sweep of a cathode-ray tube. A hodoscope of neon bulbs connected to an arrangement of G-M counters was simultaneously used to study the relative number of neutral and charged primaries and the penetration of the ionizing particles produced in the disintegrations.Lifetime, angular distribution, and average energy of the neutrons have been investigated. The multiplicities of the neutrons produced in absorbers of different thickness and material have been determined. Evidence has been derived of the existence of conspicuous cascades of nuclear disintegrations.A tentative analysis of the nuclear cascade process is given.