Large-angle production of charged pions with incident pion beams on nuclear targets

Abstract

Measurements of the double-differential ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$ production cross section in the range of momentum $100\ensuremath{\leqslant}p\ensuremath{\leqslant}800$ MeV/$c$ and angle $0.35\ensuremath{\leqslant}\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\leqslant}2.15$ rad using ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$ beams incident on beryllium, aluminum, carbon, copper, tin, tantalum, and lead targets are presented. The data were taken with the large-acceptance hadron production (HARP) detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN Proton Synchrotron. The secondary pions were produced by beams in a momentum range from 3 to $12.9\mathrm{GeV}/c$ hitting a solid target with a thickness of $5%$ of a nuclear interaction length. The tracking and identification of the produced particles was performed using a small-radius cylindrical time projection chamber placed inside a solenoidal magnet. Incident particles were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors. Results are obtained for the double-differential cross sections ${d}^{2}\ensuremath{\sigma}/\mathit{dp} d\ensuremath{\theta}$ at six incident-beam momenta. Data at $3,5,8$, and $12\mathrm{GeV}/c$ are available for all targets, while additional data at $8.9$ and $12.9\mathrm{GeV}/c$ were taken in positive particle beams on Be and Al targets, respectively. The measurements are compared with several generators of GEANT4 and the MARS Monte Carlo simulation.