Results of charged pions cross-section in proton carbon interaction at 31 GeV/c measured with the NA61/SHINE detector

TL;DR

This paper reports on measurements of charged pion production cross sections in proton-carbon interactions at 31 GeV/c using the NA61/SHINE detector, aiming to improve neutrino beam characterization for T2K.

Contribution

It provides new precise measurements of charged pion cross sections in proton-carbon interactions at 31 GeV/c, utilizing the NA61/SHINE detector and pilot data from 2007.

Findings

Charged pion inclusive inelastic cross sections measured

Data collected with a 2 cm thick carbon target

Results aid in neutrino beam characterization

Abstract

Among other goals, the NA61/SHINE (SHINE=SPS Heavy Ion and Neutrino Experiment) detector at CERN SPS aims at precision hadro-production measurements to characterise the neutrino beam of the T2K experiment at J-PARC. These measurements are performed using a 31 GeV/c proton beam produced at the SPS with a thin carbon target and a full T2K replica target. Spectra of charged pion inclusive inelastic cross section were obtained from pilot data collected in 2007 1 with a 2 cm thick target (4% of the interaction length). The SHINE detector and its particle identification capabilities are described and the analysis techniques are briefly discussed.