Characterizing IceTop Response to Low-Energy Air Showers

This study evaluates the response of the IceTop tanks to low-energy air showers in the GeV to TeV energy range based on simulated and measured count rates. Correlating this response with primary cosmic rays provides a tool to study Galactic and solar cosmic-ray flux modulations, particularly for solar particle events. We present long-term behavior of the IceTop scaler rates for a range of discriminator thresholds to better understand and calibrate the detector's response to changing environmental conditions.