Measurement of the production cross-section of positive pions in the collision of 8.9 GeV/c protons on beryllium

Catanesi, M.G.; Bagulya, A.; Coney, L.; Chizhov, M.; Novella, P.; Kayis-Topaksu, A.; Pastore, F.; Gregoire, G.; Bobisut, F.; Kolev, D.; Ferri, F.; Temnikov, P.; Mezzetto, M.; Khartchenko, D.; Koreshev, V.; Polukhina, N.; Morone, M.C.; Arce, P.; Gorbunov, P.; Palladino, V.; Apollonio, M.; Schroeter, R.; Radicioni, E.; Tcherniaev, E.; Guskov, A.; Zhemchugov, A.; Gossling, C.; Ivanchenko, V.; Piperov, Stefan; Gostkin, M.; Dore, U.; Santin, G.; Tsukerman, I.; Kirsanov, M.; Tsenov, R.; Howlett, L.; Martin-Albo, J.; Wiebusch, C.; Hodgson, P.; Booth, C.; Artamonov, A.; De Min, A.; Bunyatov, S.; Borghi, S.; Ellis, Malcolm; Kato, I.; Gruber, P.; Schmitz, D.; Gibin, D.; Tornero, A.; Zuber, K.; Grichine, V.; Bogomilov, M.; Grossheim, A.; Krasnoperov, A.; Pattison, C.; Robbins, S.; Dedovitch, D.; Serdiouk, V.; Guglielmi, A.; De Santo, A.; Kroumchtein, Z.; Tereshchenko, V.; Chimenti, P.; Zaets, V.; Ammosov, V.; Paleari, F.; Tortora, L.; Tonazzo, A.; Nefedov, Y.; Blondel, A.; Sorel, M.; Burguet-Castell, J.; Veenhof, R.; Buttar, C.; Semak, A.; Gomez-Cadenas, J.J.; Gastaldi, U.; Barr, G.; Zucchelli, P.; Di Capua, E.; Vannucci, F.; Pasternak, J.; Mills, G.B.; Giannini, G.; Edgecock, R.; Prior, G.; Graulich, J.S.; Popov, B.; Giani, S.; Engel, R.; Cervera-Villanueva, A.; Papadopoulos, I.; Paganoni, M.; Bonesini, M.; Panman, J.; Chelkov, G.; Campanelli, M.; Vidal-Sitjes, G.; Meurer, C.; Dumarchez, J.; Grant, A.; Orestano, D.; Gilardoni, S.; Soler, F.J.P.

doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-007-0382-8

Article
Report number	hep-ex/0702024
Title	Measurement of the production cross-section of positive pions in the collision of 8.9 GeV/c protons on beryllium
Related title	PION
Author(s)	Catanesi, M.G. (Bari U. ; INFN, Bari) ; Radicioni, E. (Bari U. ; INFN, Bari) ; Edgecock, R. (Rutherford) ; Ellis, Malcolm (Rutherford) ; Robbins, S. (Rutherford) ; Soler, F.J.P. (Rutherford) ; Gossling, C. (Dortmund U.) ; Bunyatov, S. (Dubna, JINR) ; Chelkov, G. (Dubna, JINR) ; Dedovitch, D. (Dubna, JINR) ; Gostkin, M. (Dubna, JINR) ; Guskov, A. (Dubna, JINR) ; Khartchenko, D. (Dubna, JINR) ; Krasnoperov, A. (Dubna, JINR) ; Kroumchtein, Z. (Dubna, JINR) ; Nefedov, Y. (Dubna, JINR) ; Popov, B. (Dubna, JINR) ; Serdiouk, V. (Dubna, JINR) ; Tereshchenko, V. (Dubna, JINR) ; Zhemchugov, A. (Dubna, JINR) ; Di Capua, E. (Ferrara U. ; INFN, Ferrara) ; Vidal-Sitjes, G. (Ferrara U. ; INFN, Ferrara) ; Artamonov, A. (CERN) ; Arce, P. (CERN) ; Giani, S. (CERN) ; Gilardoni, S. (CERN) ; Gorbunov, P. (CERN) ; Grant, A. (CERN) ; Grossheim, A. (CERN) ; Gruber, P. (CERN) ; Ivanchenko, V. (CERN) ; Kayis-Topaksu, A. (CERN) ; Panman, J. (CERN) ; Papadopoulos, I. (CERN) ; Pasternak, J. (CERN) ; Tcherniaev, E. (CERN) ; Tsukerman, I. (CERN) ; Veenhof, R. (CERN) ; Wiebusch, C. (CERN) ; Zucchelli, P. (CERN) ; Blondel, A. (Geneva U.) ; Borghi, S. (Geneva U.) ; Campanelli, M. (Geneva U.) ; Morone, M.C. (Geneva U.) ; Prior, G. (Geneva U.) ; Schroeter, R. (Geneva U.) ; Engel, R. (Karlsruhe U.) ; Meurer, C. (Karlsruhe U.) ; Kato, I. (Kyoto U.) ; Gastaldi, U. (INFN, Legnaro) ; Mills, G.B. (Los Alamos) ; Graulich, J.S. (Louvain U.) ; Gregoire, G. (Louvain U.) ; Bonesini, M. (Milan Bicocca U. ; INFN, Milan Bicocca) ; De Min, A. (Milan Bicocca U. ; INFN, Milan Bicocca) ; Ferri, F. (Milan Bicocca U. ; INFN, Milan Bicocca) ; Paganoni, M. (Milan Bicocca U. ; INFN, Milan Bicocca) ; Paleari, F. (Milan Bicocca U. ; INFN, Milan Bicocca) ; Kirsanov, M. (Moscow, INR) ; Bagulya, A. (Lebedev Inst.) ; Grichine, V. (Lebedev Inst.) ; Polukhina, N. (Lebedev Inst.) ; Palladino, V. (Naples U.) ; Coney, L. (Columbia U.) ; Schmitz, D. (Columbia U.) ; Barr, G. (Oxford U.) ; De Santo, A. (Oxford U.) ; Pattison, C. (Oxford U.) ; Zuber, K. (Oxford U.) ; Bobisut, F. (Padua U. ; INFN, Padua) ; Gibin, D. (Padua U. ; INFN, Padua) ; Guglielmi, A. (Padua U. ; INFN, Padua) ; Mezzetto, M. (Padua U. ; INFN, Padua) ; Dumarchez, J. (Paris U., VI-VII) ; Vannucci, F. (Paris U., VI-VII) ; Ammosov, V. (Serpukhov, IHEP) ; Koreshev, V. (Serpukhov, IHEP) ; Semak, A. (Serpukhov, IHEP) ; Zaets, V. (Serpukhov, IHEP) ; Dore, U. (Rome U. ; INFN, Rome) ; Orestano, D. (Rome III U. ; INFN, Rome3) ; Pastore, F. (Rome III U. ; INFN, Rome3) ; Tonazzo, A. (Rome III U. ; INFN, Rome3) ; Tortora, L. (Rome III U. ; INFN, Rome3) ; Booth, C. (Sheffield U.) ; Buttar, C. (Sheffield U.) ; Hodgson, P. (Sheffield U.) ; Howlett, L. (Sheffield U.) ; Bogomilov, M. (Sofiya U.) ; Chizhov, M. (Sofiya U.) ; Kolev, D. (Sofiya U.) ; Tsenov, R. (Sofiya U.) ; Piperov, Stefan (Sofiya, Inst. Nucl. Res.) ; Temnikov, P. (Sofiya, Inst. Nucl. Res.) ; Apollonio, M. (Trieste U. ; INFN, Trieste) ; Chimenti, P. (Trieste U. ; INFN, Trieste) ; Giannini, G. (Trieste U. ; INFN, Trieste) ; Santin, G. (Trieste U. ; INFN, Trieste) ; Burguet-Castell, J. (Valencia U., IFIC ; Valencia U.) ; Cervera-Villanueva, A. (Valencia U., IFIC ; Valencia U.) ; Gomez-Cadenas, J.J. (Valencia U., IFIC ; Valencia U.) ; Martin-Albo, J. (Valencia U., IFIC ; Valencia U.) ; Novella, P. (Valencia U., IFIC ; Valencia U.) ; Sorel, M. (Valencia U., IFIC ; Valencia U.) ; Tornero, A. (Valencia U., IFIC ; Valencia U.)
Affiliation	(Univ. degli Studi and INFN, Bari, Italy) ; (Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, UK) ; (Inst. Phys., Univ. Dortmund, Germany) ; (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, JINR Dubna, Russia) ; (Univ. degli Studi and NFN, Ferrara, Italy) ; (CERN) ; (Geneva U.) ; (Inst. Phys., Univ. Karlsruhe, Germany) ; (Univ. Kyoto, Japan) ; (Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro dell’ INFN, Legnaro, Italy) ; (Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, USA) ; (Inst. Phys. Nucl., UCL, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium) ; (Univ. degli Studi and INFN, Milano, Italy) ; (Inst. Nucl. Res., Moscow, Russia) ; (P. N. Lebedev Inst. Physics (FIAN), Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia) ; (Univ. “Federico II” and INFN, Napoli, Italy) ; (Columbia Univ., New York, USA) ; (Nuclear and Astrophysics Laboratory, Univ. Oxford, UK) ; (Univ. degli Studi and INFN, Padova, Italy) ; (LPNHE, Univ. Paris VI et VII, Paris, France) ; (Inst. High Energy Phys., Protvino, Russia) ; (Univ. “La Sapienza” and INFN Roma I, Roma, Italy) ; (Univ. degli Studi and INFN Roma III, Roma, Italy) ; (Univ. Sheffield, UK) ; (Faculty of Physics, St. Kliment Ohridski Univ., Sofia, Bulgaria) ; (Inst. Nucl. Res. and Nuclear Energy, Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria) ; (Univ. degli Studi and INFN, Trieste, Italy) ; (Inst. Fis. Corpusc., IFIC, CSIC and Univ. Valencia, Spain)
Publication	2007
Imprint	14 Feb 2007
Number of pages	35
Note	39 pages, 21 figures. Version accepted for publication by Eur. Phys. J. C
In:	Eur. Phys. J. C 52 (2007) 29-53
DOI	10.1140/epjc/s10052-007-0382-8
Subject category	Particle Physics - Experiment
Abstract	The double-differential production cross-section of positive pions, $d^2\sigma^{\pi^{+}}/dpd\Omega$, measured in the HARP experiment is presented. The incident particles are 8.9 \GeVc protons directed onto a beryllium target with a nominal thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. The measured cross-section has a direct impact on the prediction of neutrino fluxes for the MiniBooNE and SciBooNE experiments at Fermilab. After cuts, 13 million protons on target produced about 96,000 reconstructable secondary tracks which were used in this analysis. Cross-section results are presented in the kinematic range 0.75 ${GeV}/c$ $\leq p_{\pi} \leq$ 6.5 ${GeV}/c$ and 30 mrad $\leq \theta_{\pi} \leq$ 210 mrad in the laboratory frame.

$Beam Cherenkov pulse height distributions. BCA in the left panel, BCB in the middle, and BCB \emph{vs.} BCA in the right panel. The electron and pion tagging efficiency is found to be close to 100\%; the peaks are separated by $\approx 3\sigma$ in both detectors. By requiring a value compatible with a pedestal in both Cherenkov detectors the beam protons are clearly separable from pions and electrons as seen in the right panel.$