A measurement of the total $pp$ cross section at the LHC at $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV is presented. An integrated luminosity of $500$ $\mu$b$^{-1}$ was accumulated in a special run with high-$\beta^{\star}$ beam optics to measure the differential elastic cross section as a function of the Mandelstam momentum transfer variable $t$. The measurement is performed with the ALFA sub-detector of ATLAS. Using a fit to the differential elastic cross section in the $-t$ range from $0.014$ GeV$^2$ to $0.1$ GeV$^2$ to extrapolate $t\rightarrow 0$, the total cross section, $\sigma_{\mathrm{tot}}(pp\rightarrow X)$, is measured via the optical theorem to be: $\sigma_{\mathrm{tot}}(pp\rightarrow X) = {96.07} \; \pm 0.18 \; ({{stat.}}) \pm 0.85 \; ({{exp.}}) \pm 0.31 \; ({extr.}) \; {mb} \;,$ where the first error is statistical, the second accounts for all experimental systematic uncertainties and the last is related to uncertainties in the extrapolation $t\rightarrow 0$. In addition, the slope of the exponential function describing the elastic cross section at small $t$ is determined to be $B = 19.74 \pm 0.05 \; ({{stat.}}) \pm 0.23 \; ({{syst.}}) \; {GeV}^{-2}$.
The measured differential elastic cross section. In addition to the statistical and total systematic uncertainties, the following 22 systematic shifts are given, which are included in the profile fit with their signs: -- Constraints: Beam optics uncertainty obtained by varying the ALFA constraints in the optics fit -- QScan: Variation by +/- 0.1 % of the quadrupole strength -- Q2: Fit of the strength of Q2 using the best value for the strength of Q1 and Q3 -- Q5Q6: Variation of the strength of Q5 and Q6 by -0.2% as indicated by machine constraints -- MadX: Uncertainty related to the beam transport replacing matrix transport by MadX PTC tracking -- Qmisal: Uncertainty due to the mis-alignment of the quadrupoles in the beam line -- Q1Q3: Propagation of the optics fit uncertainty in the strenght of Q1 and Q3 on the differential elastic cross section -- Aopt: Alignment uncertainty from the optimization procedure -- Offv: Alignment uncertainty related to the vertical beam center offset -- Offh: Alignment uncertainty related to the horizontal beam center offset -- Ang: Alignment uncertainty related to the detector rotation in the x-y plane -- BGn: Uncertainty from the background normalization -- BGs: Uncertainty from the background shape -- MCres: Error from modelling of the detector response -- Slope: Residual dependence on the physics model estimated by varying the nuclear slope in the simulation by +/- 1 GeV^-2 -- Emit: Uncertainty from the emittance used to calculate beam divergence in the simulation -- Unf: Unfolding uncertainty from the data-driven closure test -- Trac: Uncertainty from the variation of the track reconstruction selection cuts -- Xing: Uncertainty from residual crossing angle in the horizontal plane -- Eff: Uncertainty from the reconstruction efficiency -- Lumi: Luminosity uncertainty (+/- 1.5%) -- Ebeam: Uncertainty from the nominal beam energy (+/- 0.65%) Small differences in the values given here compared to the published version are related to insignificant rounding issues.
The total cross sections σT of p, p¯, π±, and K± on hydrogen and deuterium have been measured between 6 and 22 GeVc at intervals of 2GeVc to an accuracy greater than previously reported. The method utilized was a conventional good-geometry transmission experiment with scintillation counters subtending various solid angles at targets of liquid H2 and D2. With the increase in statistical accuracy of the data, it was found that a previously adopted procedure of linearly extrapolating to zero solid angle the partial cross sections measured at finite solid angles was not a sufficiently accurate procedure from which to deduce σT. The particle-neutron cross sections are derived by applying the Glauber screening correction to the difference between the particle-deuteron and particle-proton cross sections. The cross sections σT(π+d) and σT(π−d) are equal at all measured momenta, which confirms the validity of charge symmetry up to 20GeVc. Results are presented showing the variation of cross sections with momentum; evidence is presented for a small but significant decrease in σT(pp) [and σT(pn)] in the momentum region above 12GeVc.
Interactions initiated by 3-Bev protons of the Brookhaven Cosmotron were studied by photoemulsion technique. With appropriate criteria, 115 events are attributed to interactions of the incident beam protons with hydrogen nuclei (∼55%) and with bound protons of other nuclei (∼45%). A detailed analysis allowed the subdivision of the 115 events in categories, according to the number of π mesons (N>~0) produced in the collision. The ratio of elastic scattering to the total number of events was estimated to be σelσtotal=0.20−0.07+0.04. The observed cross section for pure elastic scattering is σel=8.9±1.0 mb. The percentages of single, double, triple, and quadruple π-meson production are respectively: 34−20+22; 35.6−23+20; 9.6−4+6; ∼1.0+3.5. Among the 20 most probable cases of single π-meson production—the estimated ratio of π+ to π0 is σπ+σπ0=5.3−1.4+0.3. The experimental results are not in agreement with the Fermi statistical-model theory (in particular the lower limit for the experimental ratio of triple to single production is given by σ3σ1>∼110 in contrast with the predicted ratio σ3σ1=167) but are not inconsistent with the Peaslee excited-state-model theory.
The differential cross sections for the elastic scattering of π+, π−, K+, K−, p, and p¯ on protons have been measured in the t interval -0.04 to -0.75 GeV2 at five momenta: 50, 70, 100, 140, and 175 GeV/c. The t distributions have been parametrized by the quadratic exponential form dσdt=Aexp(B|t|+C|t|2) and the energy dependence has been described in terms of a single-pole Regge model. The pp and K+p diffraction peaks are found to shrink with α′∼0.20 and ∼0.15 GeV−2, respectively. The p¯p diffraction peak is antishrinking while π±p and K−p are relatively energy-independent. Total elastic cross sections are calculated by integrating the differential cross sections. The rapid decline in σel observed at low energies has stopped and all six reactions approach relatively constant values of σel. The ratio of σelσtot approaches a constant value for all six reactions by 100 GeV, consistent with the predictions of the geometric-scaling hypothesis. This ratio is ∼0.18 for pp and p¯p, and ∼0.12-0.14 for π±p and K±p. A crossover is observed between K+p and K−p scattering at |t|∼0.19 GeV2, and between pp and p¯p at |t|∼0.11 GeV2. Inversion of the cross sections into impact-parameter space shows that protons are quite transparent to mesons even in head-on collisions. The probability for a meson to pass through a proton head-on without interaction inelastically is ∼20% while it is only ∼6% for an incident proton or antiproton. Finally, the results are compared with various quark-model predictions.
No description provided.
Forum