0000000000793423
AUTHOR
Sergio Pastor Carpi
Measurement of the proton-air cross section at root s=57 TeV with the Pierre Auger Observatory
We report a measurement of the proton-air cross section for particle production at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon of 57 TeV. This is derived from the distribution of the depths of shower maxima observed with the Pierre Auger Observatory: systematic uncertainties are studied in detail. Analyzing the tail of the distribution of the shower maxima, a proton-air cross section of [505 +/- 22(stat)(-36)(+28)(syst)] mb is found.
Relic neutrino decoupling with oscillations revisited
We study the decoupling process of neutrinos in the early universe in the presence of three-flavour oscillations. The evolution of the neutrino spectra is found by solving the corresponding momentum-dependent kinetic equations for the neutrino density matrix, including for the rst time the proper collision integrals for both diagonal and o -diagonal elements. This improved calculation modi es the evolution of the o -diagonal elements of the neutrino density matrix and changes the deviation from equilibrium of the frozen neutrino spectra. However, it does not vary the contribution of neutrinos to the cosmological energy density in the form of radiation, usually expressed in terms of the e ec…
Limits on the diffuse flux of ultra-high energy neutrinos using the Pierre Auger Observatory
Abstract The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory is sensitive to ultra-high energy neutrinos in the cosmic radiation. These particles can interact close to ground, both through charged and neutral currents in the atmosphere (down-going) and, for tau neutrinos, through the Earth-skimming mechanism (up-going) where a tau lepton is produced in the Earth's crust that can emerge and decay in the atmosphere. Both types of neutrino-induced events produce an inclined shower that can be identified by the presence of a broad time structure of signals in the water-Cherenkov detectors. Using data collected from the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we present th…
Upper limit on the diffuse flux of UHE tau neutrinos from the Pierre Auger Observatory
The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory is sensitive to Earth-skimming tau neutrinos that interact in Earth¿s crust. Tau leptons from ντ charged-current interactions can emerge and decay in the atmosphere to produce a nearly horizontal shower with a significant electromagnetic component. The data collected between 1 January 2004 and 31 August 2007 are used to place an upper limit on the diffuse flux of ντ at EeV energies. Assuming an E−2ν differential energy spectrum the limit set at 90% C.L. is E2νdNντ/dEν<1.3×10−7 GeV cm−2 s−1 sr−1 in the energy range 2×1017 eV<Eν<2×1019 eV.