Production cross sections of gamma-rays, electrons, and positrons in p-p collisions

TL;DR

This paper derives production cross sections for gamma-rays, electrons, and positrons in proton-proton collisions from existing data, providing a comprehensive model applicable from GeV to PeV energies.

Contribution

It offers a direct method to obtain electron and positron production cross sections from gamma-ray data, extending applicability to ultra-high energies up to 20 PeV.

Findings

Cross sections are consistent with accelerator data including LHC results.

Derived cross sections are valid for energies from GeV to 20 PeV.

Explicit formulas for electron and positron production are provided.

Abstract

Because the production cross sections of gamma-rays, electrons, and positrons made in p-p collisions, $\sigma_{pp\rightarrow \gamma}$ and $\sigma_{pp\rightarrow {e}^\pm}$, respectively, are kinematically equivalent with respect to the parent pion-production cross section $\sigma_{pp\rightarrow \pi}$, we obtain $\sigma_{pp\rightarrow {e}^\pm}$ directly from the machine data on $\sigma_{pp\rightarrow \gamma}$. In Sato et al. (2012), we give explicitly $\sigma_{pp\rightarrow \gamma}$, reproducing quite well the accelerator data with LHC, namely $\sigma_{pp\rightarrow {e}^\pm}$ is applicable enough over the wide energy range from GeV to 20\,PeV for projectile proton energy. We dicuss in detail the relation between the cross sections, and present explicitly $\sigma_{pp\rightarrow {e}^\pm}$ that are valid into the PeV electron energy.