TY - JOUR
T1 - Measurement of the proton-air inelastic cross section at s≈2TeV from the EAS-TOP experiment
AU - Aglietta, M.
AU - Alessandro, B.
AU - Antonioli, P.
AU - Arneodo, F.
AU - Bergamasco, L.
AU - Bertaina, M.
AU - Castellina, A.
AU - Cantoni, E.
AU - Chiavassa, A.
AU - D'Ettorre Piazzoli, B.
AU - Di Sciascio, G.
AU - Fulgione, W.
AU - Galeotti, P.
AU - Ghia, P. L.
AU - Iacovacci, M.
AU - Mannocchi, G.
AU - Morello, C.
AU - Navarra, G.
AU - Saavedra, O.
AU - Stamerra, A.
AU - Trinchero, G. C.
AU - Vallania, P.
AU - Vernetto, S.
AU - Vigorito, C.
PY - 2009/2/23
Y1 - 2009/2/23
N2 - The proton-air inelastic cross section (σp-airinel) is measured at s≈2TeV at the EAS-TOP extensive air shower experiment by studying the absorption length of cosmic ray proton primaries cascades reaching the maximum development at the observation level. Primary energies, in the region E0=(1.5÷2.5)•1015eV, are selected through the EAS muon number (Nμ), and proton originated cascades at maximum development are selected by means of the shower size (Ne). The observed absorption length (λobs) is a convolution of the proton-air interaction length (λp-air) and of the shower and detector fluctuations. The conversion factor k=λobs/ λint is obtained by means of simulations performed with the CORSIKA code and the QGSJET II and SIBYLL interaction models. The obtained value of the p-air inelastic cross section at s≈2TeV is σp-airinel=338±21(stat) ±19(syst)-28(syst)mb. The statistical and systematic uncertainties, as well as the relationships with the pp (p̄p) total cross section measurements are discussed.
AB - The proton-air inelastic cross section (σp-airinel) is measured at s≈2TeV at the EAS-TOP extensive air shower experiment by studying the absorption length of cosmic ray proton primaries cascades reaching the maximum development at the observation level. Primary energies, in the region E0=(1.5÷2.5)•1015eV, are selected through the EAS muon number (Nμ), and proton originated cascades at maximum development are selected by means of the shower size (Ne). The observed absorption length (λobs) is a convolution of the proton-air interaction length (λp-air) and of the shower and detector fluctuations. The conversion factor k=λobs/ λint is obtained by means of simulations performed with the CORSIKA code and the QGSJET II and SIBYLL interaction models. The obtained value of the p-air inelastic cross section at s≈2TeV is σp-airinel=338±21(stat) ±19(syst)-28(syst)mb. The statistical and systematic uncertainties, as well as the relationships with the pp (p̄p) total cross section measurements are discussed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=62249142838&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=62249142838&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevD.79.032004
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevD.79.032004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:62249142838
SN - 1550-7998
VL - 79
JO - Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology
JF - Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology
IS - 3
M1 - 032004
ER -