A New Method for Measuring the Pion-Air Cross Section at Multi-TeV Energies Using Muon Bundle Properties in Deep Underground Detectors
Abstract
The interaction cross section of charged pions with air nuclei is a critical parameter for accurately simulating extensive air showers. Improving the modeling of high-energy pion interactions is essential for addressing the muon puzzle-the observed deficit of muons in simulations compared to indirect experimental estimates. As collider experiments cannot directly probe these interactions, we propose a novel measurement approach using muon bundles detected in deep-underground water Cherenkov detectors, such as IceCube and KM3NeT. This method aims to constrain the pion-air inelastic cross section, thereby reducing uncertainties in air shower simulations and advancing our understanding of cosmic ray interactions.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2507.22463,
title = {A New Method for Measuring the Pion-Air Cross Section at Multi-TeV Energies Using Muon Bundle Properties in Deep Underground Detectors},
author = {Karolin Hymon and Anatoli Fedynitch},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2507.22463},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
Presented at the 39th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2025)