A model for the transport of muons in extensive air showers

In this article we identify the key elements that govern the propagation of muons from the production in extensive air showers to ground. We describe a model based on simple assumptions that propagates the muons starting from the few relevant distributions at production. We compare the results to the ground distributions given by a full air shower Monte Carlo. This study is motivated by the need of modeling the muon component in extensive air showers with the goal of experimentally reconstructing their distributions at production, which act as a footprint of the hadronic cascade.

► We describe a model to propagate the muons in extensive air showers.
► The few relevant distributions at production are identified.
► Energy, Pt and depth at production are related to the distributions at ground.
► This model can be used for fast simulations.
► This model can be used to experimentally assess the distributions at production.