Measurements of production and inelastic cross sections for p+C, p+Be, and p+Al at 60 GeV/c and p+C and p+Be at 120 GeV/c

Abstract

This paper presents measurements of production cross sections and inelastic cross sections for the following reactions: 60 GeV=c protons with C, Be, Al targets and 120 GeV=c protons with C and Be targets. The analysis is performed using the NA61/SHINE spectrometer at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron. First measurements are obtained using protons at 120 GeV=c, while the results for protons at 60 GeV=c are compared with previously published measurements. These interaction cross section measurements are critical inputs for neutrino flux prediction in current and future accelerator-based long-baseline neutrino experiments.