Production of antiprotons in the upper atmosphere by interacting primary cosmic rays.

Abstract

We calculate the p\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} background in the upper atmosphere which results when primary cosmic rays interact with air nuclei. Since the p\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} yield from p-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus interactions is not directly known from experiments, we derive these quantities by using a Monte Carlo simulation which is theoretically based on the dual parton model and which had been successfully applied to the description of hadron production in high energy collisions. Results on the calculated atmospheric p\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} background indicate a larger p\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} background than earlier estimates predicted, particularly at low energies. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.