Large-angle hadron production cross-sections for the neutrino factory

TL;DR

This paper provides precise measurements of large-angle hadron production cross-sections in proton-beryllium collisions, crucial for understanding neutrino beams, and identifies significant discrepancies in previous data reports.

Contribution

It presents new double-differential cross-section measurements for proton and pion production at various energies, correcting prior data inaccuracies.

Findings

Previous cross-sections were underestimated by factors of up to two.

Provides essential data for neutrino beam flux modeling.

Improves understanding of hadron production in proton-beryllium interactions.

Abstract

Precise measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters and of neutrino-nucleon cross-sections require a good understanding of neutrino beams: flux as a function of energy, transverse beam profile, and flavour composition. For this, hadron production spectra in proton-nucleus collisions are essential. We report on double-differential inclusive large-angle cross-sections of the production of secondary protons and charged pions, in the interactions with a 5% lambda thick stationary beryllium target, of proton and pion beams with momentum from 3 GeV/c to 15 GeV/c. Our results show cross-sections reported by the 'HARP Collaboration' to be wrong by factors of up to two.