Testing the QGSJET01 and QGSJETII-04 models with the help of atmospheric muons

¹ Faculty of Physics M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow, Russia
² Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
³ State Scientific Center Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics, National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 117218 Moscow, Russia
⁴ National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI) Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, 115409 Moscow, Russia

^a e-mail: ddn@dec1.sinp.msu.ru
^b e-mail: lukyashin.anton@physics.msu.ru
^c e-mail: rogatm@yandex.ru
^d e-mail: fdr@dec1.sinp.msu.ru

Published online: 26 June 2017

Abstract

More accurate original calculations of the atmospheric vertical muon energy spectra at energies 10² − 10⁵ GeV have been carried out in terms of the QGSJET01 and QGSJETII-04 models. The Gaisser-Honda approximations of the measured energy spectra of primary protons, helium and nitrogen nuclei have been used. The CORSIKA package has been used to simulate cascades in the standard atmosphere induced by different primary particles with various fixed energies E. Statistics of simulated cascades for secondary particles with energies (0.01 − 1) · E was increased up to 10⁶. It has been shown that predictions of the QGSJET01 and QGSJETII-04 models for these muon fluxes are below the data of the classical experiments L3 + Cosmic, MACRO and LVD by factors of ∼ 1.7-2 at energies above 10² GeV. It has been concluded that these tested models underestimate the production of the most energetic secondary particles, namely, π-mesons and K-mesons, in interactions of primary protons and other primary nuclei with nuclei in the atmosphere by the same factors.