Test of the hadronic interaction models SIBYLL2.3, EPOS-LHC and QGSJETII- 04 with Tibet EAS core data

M Amenomori,Labaciren Labaciren,M Shibata,H Y Jia,N Hotta,I Ohta,Y H Tan,F Kajino,S Ozawa,K Kasahara,Y Katayose,M Sakata,A Shiomi,Yi Zhang,A F Yuan,M Takita,Ying Zhang,S W Cui,Haibing Hu,Y Zhang,L Xue,N Tateyama,M Ohnishi,K Hibino,K Kawata,L K Ding,H Sugimoto,T Shirai,H Nanjo,S Udo,L M Zhai,Q B Gou,X B Qu,X Y Zhang,Danzengluobu Danzengluobu,H H He,Zhaxisangzhu Zhaxisangzhu,X J Bi,Shoji Torii ,A F Li ,Z Yang ,H Tsuchiya ,T Saito ,X L Qian ,Ze He ,J Shao ,H J Li ,C Feng ,G M Le ,K Yamauchi ,Y Yamamoto ,Feng Zhu ,H M Zhang ,Z Feng ,W J Li ,D Chen ,C Kato ,T L Chen ,T Niwa ,M Y Liu ,J L Zhang ,Takashi Sako ,Masaki Nakamura ,H Wang ,L L Jiang ,J S Liu ,M Kozai ,Tetsuya Miyazaki ,X R Meng ,Y Q Guo ,H R Wu ,Wen-Yun Chen ,Yu-Hui Lin ,C Liu ,T Nakajima ,H Lü ,K Munakata ,Yuya Nakamura ,J Huang ,X X Zhou

doi:10.1051/epjconf/201920808013

Abstract

A hybrid experiment has been started by the ASγ experiment at Yangbajing (4300m a.s.l.) in Tibet since May 2009, that consists of a high-energy air-shower-core array (YAC-I) and a high-density air-shower array (Tibet-III). In this paper, we report our results to check the hadronic interaction models SIBYLL2.3, SIBYLL2.1, EPOS-LHC and QGSJETII-04 in the multi-tens TeV energy region using YAC-I+Tibet-III experimental data from May 2009 through January 2010. The effective live time is calculated as 106.05 days. The results show that the description of transverse momentum, inelastic cross-section and inelasticity for the 4 hadronic interaction models is consistent with YAC-I experimental data within 15% systematic errors range in the forward region below 100 TeV. Among them, the EPOS-LHC model is the best hadronic interaction model. Furthermore, we find that the H4a composition model is the best one below the 100 TeV energy region.

Highlights

We investigated hadronic interaction models (QGSJETII-04, SIBYLL2.1, SIBYLL2.3 and EPOSLHC) in the forward region of extensive air showers (EAS) in the multi-tens TeV energy region using the data obtained by the (YACI+Tibet-III) experiment
After excluding the "ambiguous" interference of cosmic-ray components, we can obtain the following conclusions: (1) The transverse momentum description of EPOS-LHC, QGSJETII-04, SIBYLL2.1 and SIBYLL2.3 is consistent with YAC within 15% systematic errors in the forward region below the 100 TeV energy region; (2) Among them, the EPOS-LHC model is the most consistent with YAC-I experimental results for the description of transverse momentum
The EPOS-LHC model is the most consistent for the description of transverse momentum, so we can get the following conclusions: (1) H4a composition model is most consistent with YAC-I experimental results below 100 TeV energy region; (2) We think that the H4a composition model is reliable below 100 TeV because the proton and helium spectrum of the H4a model coincides with the latest results from CREAM3

Summary

Introduction

For accelerator experiments with energies lower than 2 TeV - the corresponding fixed-target energy of the highest ISR energy, the inelastic interaction cross section, the interaction inelasticity and the distribution of large x (Feynman variable) particles (or particles produced in the forward region) have essentially been measured [1]. When the energy goes higher, the inelasticity and the distribution of large x particles produced were no longer directly measured by hadron collider experiments, and one has to use extrapolation of the laws established at lower energies. For multi-parameter measurements of EASs, it seemed that no interaction model can explain all the data consistently [2]. We investigated hadronic interaction models (QGSJETII-04, SIBYLL2.1, SIBYLL2.3 and EPOSLHC) in the forward region of EAS in the multi-tens TeV energy region using the data obtained by the (YACI+Tibet-III) experiment

Experiment

Simulations

Check transverse momentum

Check primary composition model

Check inelastic cross section and inelasticity

Summary