π±, K±, protons and antiprotons production in proton–carbon interactions at 31 GeV/c using hadron production models

Projects proposed for the long baseline neutrino and cosmic rays' experiments require high precision hadron production measurements, using proton beam on different targets, to achieve their physics goals. The predictions of neutrino beam depend on the modeling of protons interacting within the targets. Thus, different hadronic models are being used for this purpose with different precisions, which depend on the projectile protons energy and material of the target used. The comparison of different hadron production models predictions, in proton-carbon interactions at 31 GeV/c, is reported in this paper. Double differential yield of pi(+/-), K-+/- mesons, protons and antiprotons in several polar angle ranges is presented as a function of laboratory momentum. EPOS1.99, EPOS-LHC and QGSJETII-04 models are used to perform simulations. The results of the simulated data are compared with hadron production measurements in proton-carbon interactions at 31 GeV/c performed by the NA61/SHINE experiment at the SPS CERN [Eur. Phys. J. C 76, 84 (2016)]. None of the models completely describes all the distributions. In most of the cases, EPOS1.99 describes the experimental data very well. EPOS-LHC results are also similar in some cases, but QGSJETII-04 predictions failed to reproduce the experimental data.