Investigating the nature of cosmic rays through charged hadron production in p+O collisions at ATLAS

23 Jun 2026, 08:30
20m
Buttrick 101

Buttrick 101

Session helpers - Kyle Devereaux and Lipei Du

Speaker

Patrik Novotny (Weizmann Institute of Science (IL))

Description

By colliding protons with oxygen ions, the LHC enables studies of fundamental properties of matter at extraordinary range of energy scales of ~10 TeV. The recent p+O collisions at the LHC reproduce key features of PeV cosmic-ray interactions with the Earth’s atmosphere. Interpreting data from ground-based cosmic-ray detectors relies on detailed simulations of hadronic interactions at TeV-scale center-of-mass energies. These simulations are based on phenomenological models that require tuning to collider data, particularly in the forward and high-energy regimes. This talk presents the first measurement of prompt charged-particle production in proton–oxygen collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=9.62  TeV, delivering key constraints for tuning the hadronic models and aiding the development of cosmic-ray air showers generators.

Is this an experimental talk? Yes
Is this on behalf of a collaboration? Yes
Which collaboration? ATLAS
Are you willing to present as a poster if it is not selected for oral presentation? Yes

Author

Patrik Novotny (Weizmann Institute of Science (IL))

Presentation materials