Using IACTs to Measure the Profiles of Muons in TeV Air Showers

Muons are regularly detected by IACTs as part of normal observations, producing distinctive ring-shaped images that are routinely used for calibration. Due to the stereoscopic trigger requirement of IACT arrays, often both the muon ring and associated air shower are contained in the same event. We explore the potential of reconstructing TeV air showers associated with detectable muons, in order to measure the effective muon density and to reconstruct the lateral and longitudinal muon profiles. We optimise cuts and study the acceptance of IACTs to muons, exploring also the muon purity and identification efficiency. Although detection is feasible, the acceptance with a H.E.S.S.-like telescope array is found to be limited. The application to CTA with a dedicated reconstruction algorithm for muons and their associated air showers is promising.