Monte Carlo Simulations of Factors Influencing Seasonal Variation of Multiple Muon Events

Abstract

In a 2015 study, particle physicists reported the first observed seasonal variation of multiple muon events in the MINOS Far and Near Detectors, where multiple muon events created by cosmic rays were observed to be more numerous in the winter than in the summer. This goes against the initial hypothesis of the researchers, because it has long been measured that single muon rates are higher in the summer. Using Python, I simulated three potential factors that could affect this: muon decay, altitude, and the fate of the leading pion from the first interaction. My data gives support to the conclusion that the seasonal variation is due to the geometry of the underground particle detectors and related to the higher altitude of the atmosphere in the summer.