Determination of cosmic-ray primary mass on an event-by-event basis using radio detection

Traditionally, the depth of maximum shower development X-max has been used as a surrogate observable for composition. Here we present the possibility of a new methodology to discriminate between light and heavy cosmic-ray primaries on an event-by-event basis. This method is based on comparisons between detected radio signals and Monte Carlo simulations, but instead of first reconstructing X-max, we try to infer the cosmic-ray composition directly. We show that a large discrimination efficiency could in principle be reached for zenith angles above theta similar or equal to 65 degrees, even when some of the typical uncertainties in radio detection are taken into account.