Lateral density distributions of muons and electrons in EAS from the Tibet hybrid experiment (Tibet-III + YAC-II + MD)

The interpretation of ground-based EAS (Extensive Air Shower) array data relies on hadronic interaction models, which are subject to theoretical and experimental uncertainties. These uncertainties have led to inconsistencies in the current understanding of cosmic-ray composition in the "knee" energy region (10^15 eV - 10^16 eV) from ground-based array experiments. To assess the reliability of these hadronic interaction models, it is essential to study the lateral density distributions of muons and electrons, as they are highly sensitive to hadronic interactions during EAS development. These distributions are also used as key parameters for cosmic-ray composition separation in various ground-based EAS experiments. Therefore, their accuracy critically affects the final determination of individual cosmic-ray component spectra. This paper will assess the lateral density distributions of muons and electrons across various hadronic interaction models (EPOS-LHC, QGSJET-II-04, sibyll2.3, and sibyll2.1) using the Tibet hybrid experiment (YAC-II + Tibet-III + MD), and will report the relevant results.