Measurement of the Charge Ratio of Cosmic Muons using CMS Data

M. Aldaya, P. Garcia-Abia

Published 2008-10-20Version 1

We have performed the measurement of the cosmic ray muon charge ratio, as a function of the muon momentum, using data collected by the CMS experiment, exploiting the capabilities of the muon barrel drift tube (DT) chambers. The cosmic muon charge ratio is defined as the ratio of the number of positive- to negative-charge muons. Cosmic ray muons result from the interaction of high-energy cosmic-ray particles (mainly protons and nuclei), entering the upper layers of the atmosphere, with air nuclei. Since these collisions favour positive meson production, there is an asymmetry in the charge composition and more positive muons are expected. The data samples were collected at the \textit{Magnet Test and Cosmic Challenge} (MTCC). While the MTCC itself was a crucial milestone in the CMS detector construction, not having physics studies among its primary goals, it provided the first opportunity to obtain physics results and test the full analysis chain using real data in CMS before the LHC startup, together with a complementary check of the detector performance.