HARP–CDP hadroproduction data: comparison with FLUKA and GEANT4 simulations

Abstract

We report on the comparison of production characteristics of secondary protons and charged pions in the interactions of protons and charged pions with momentum between 3 GeV/c and 15 GeV/c with beryllium, copper, and tantalum nuclei, with simulations by the FLUKA program and the Geant4 tool kit. Overall production cross-sections are reasonably well reproduced, within factors of two. In more detail, there are areas with poor agreement that are unsatisfactory and call for modelling improvements. Overall, the current FLUKA simulation fares better than the current Geant4 simulation.

Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering at the European Spallation Source

“…This agreement is preserved at 2 GeV for most MC-NPX 2.7.0 intranuclear cascade and evaporation model combinations, but not for the GEANT4 options tested. A large dispersion in GEANT4 pion yield predictions has been noticed before, during benchmarks using the most recent hadroproduction measurements by the HARP [46] and HARP-CDP [47] collaborations: experimental pion production cross-sections for 2.2 GeV protons striking Ta and Pb targets are over-or under-estimated by different GEANT4 physics lists [48][49][50], following a pattern similar to that in Fig. 3.…”

Hadroproduction in FLUKA and Geant4: agreement with data?

“…The full set of comparisons can be found in Ref. [6]. In this parameter range, FLUKA simulations agree within 30% with our data while discrepancies of up to a factor of two are seen when comparing our data with Geant4 QGSP_BERT simulations.…”

Bulk neutrinos as an alternative cause of the gallium and reactor anti-neutrino anomalies

“…e excess to 0:84 [19] and very recently the HARP-CDP Group [20] presented new data on pion production that also decreased the significance of the LSND excess from 3.8 to 2:9.…”