Inelastic cross section for<i>p</i>-air collisions from air shower experiments and total cross section for<i>p</i>-<i>p</i>collisions up to √<i>s</i>=24 TeV

Based on an analysis of the extensive air shower data accumulated over the last ten years at Akeno Cosmic Ray Observatory, the value of the proton-air nuclei inelastic cross section (${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{\mathrm{in}}^{\mathit{p}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{air}}$) has been determined assuming the validity of quasi-Feynman scaling of particle production in the fragmentation region. The energy dependence of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{\mathrm{in}}^{\mathit{p}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{air}}$ can be represented as 290(E/1 TeV${)}^{0.052}$ mb in the energy interval ${10}^{16.2}$--${10}^{17.6}$ eV, where E is the incident proton energy. The total p-p cross section (${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{\mathrm{tot}}^{\mathit{p}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{p}}$), derived using the nuclear distribution function obtained from the shell model, increases with energy as 38.5+1.37 ${\mathrm{ln}}^{2}$(\ensuremath{\surd}s /10 GeV) mb.

Hali tarjima qilinmagan