Yield function Y for ionization in the atmosphere produced by cosmic ray nuclei in wide energy range simulated with CORSIKA code

In this work we presented the yield function Y for cosmic ray (CR) induced ionization simulated with CORSIKA 6.52 code using FLUKA 2006 and QGSJET II hadronic interaction subroutines for different primary CR nuclei. The energy deposits of various nuclei namely: helium, carbon, oxygen and iron induced air showers are calculated. The ion pair production in the atmosphere and the impact of the different shower components, precisely the electromagnetic, muon and hadronic are estimated. The yield function for total ionization, respectively for the above-mentioned components, is compared to the different primaries particles. The obtained results are interpreted and discussed, and a comparison between the various simulations is made. (authors)