Abstract
We present a new version of the hadron interaction event generator Sibyll. While the core ideas of the model have been preserved, the new version handles the production of baryon pairs and leading particles in a new way. In addition, production of charmed hadrons is included. Updates to the model are informed by high-precision measurements of the total and inelastic cross sections with the forward detectors at the LHC that constrain the extrapolation to ultra-high energy. Minimum-bias measurements of particle spectra and multiplicities support the tuning of fragmentation parameters. This paper demonstrates the impact of these changes on air shower observables such as $X_{\rm max}$ and $N_\mu$, drawing comparisons with other contemporary cosmic ray interaction models.
Highlights
Studying cosmic rays at energies above 100 TeV imposes a challenge since the intensity is too low for direct measurements with high-altitude balloons or spacecraft
The main challenge in these simulations is the modeling of nuclear and hadronic interactions that can occur at all possible energies ranging from the MeV up to ultrahigh energies E ∼ 1021 eV
This leads to the subclass of event generators in high-energy physics called cosmic-ray interaction models
Summary
Studying cosmic rays at energies above 100 TeV imposes a challenge since the intensity is too low for direct measurements with high-altitude balloons or spacecraft. While interactions of hadrons with protons and nuclei are well studied up to several hundreds of GeV (in target rest frame) at fixed target detectors, at the highest energies it is necessary to rely on model extrapolations from collider experiments that measure primarily the central region. This leads to the subclass of event generators in high-energy physics called cosmic-ray interaction models. This challenge is addressed by careful evaluation of ρ0 and p=pproduction, both of which increase muon content in EAS Another example is the need to include production of charmed hadrons in event generators for EAS.
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