Measurements of the proton-air cross section with high energy cosmic ray experiments

Abstract

Detecting Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) enables us to measure the proton-air inelastic cross section σinel p–air at energies that we are unable to access with particle accelerators. The proton-proton cross section σp–p is subsequently inferred from the proton-air cross section at these energies. UHECR experiments have been reportingon the proton-air inelastic cross section starting with the Fly’s Eye in 1984 at √s =30 TeV and ending with the most recent result of the Telescope Array experiment at √s = 95 TeV in 2015. In this proceeding, I will summarize the most recent experimental results on the σinel p–air measurements from the UHECR experiments.