Pion production in proton collisions with light nuclei: implications for atmospheric neutrinos

TL;DR

This paper reviews existing data on pion production in proton-light nucleus collisions to identify key phase space regions where new measurements could enhance atmospheric neutrino flux calculations.

Contribution

It systematically analyzes current data to pinpoint gaps in pion production measurements relevant for atmospheric neutrino modeling.

Findings

Identified phase space regions needing new measurements

Highlighted discrepancies among existing calculations

Suggested directions for future experimental efforts

Abstract

Differences among calculations of the atmospheric neutrino beam can be traced in large part to differences in the representation of pion production by protons interacting with nuclei in the atmosphere. In this paper we review the existing data with the goal of determining the regions of phase space in which new measurements could help to improve the input to the calculations.