RT Dissertation/Thesis T1 Inferring hadronic interaction properties from the 2D distribution of muon content and depth of maximum of extensive air showers A1 Martins, Miguel Alexandre Jesus da Silva K1 ultra-high-energy cosmic rays K1 extensive air showers K1 hadronic interactions K1 probabilistic inference K1 measurements AB As ultra-high-energy cosmic rays collide with nuclei in the atmosphere, at center-of-mass energies exceeding by more than an order of magnitude those achievable at current human-made colliders, they initiate vast cascades of secondary particles known as Extensive Air Showers. These showers evolve through the re-interaction and propagation of secondary particles originating from hadronic interactions that cannot be calculated from first principles of Quantum Chromodynamics. Instead, these interactions are described by phenomenological hadronic interaction models that are poorly constrained by accelerator data. The uncertainty in the extrapolations of these models hampers the interpretation of the mass composition of the cosmic-ray flux, thereby hindering efforts to identify the sources of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. YR 2025 FD 2025 LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43813 UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43813 LA eng DS Minerva RD 4 may 2026