Asymptotic behaviour of the total cross section of p-p scattering and the Akeno cosmic ray data

Abstract

I present a new determination of the total cross section for proton-proton collisions from the recent Akeno results on absorption of the cosmic ray protons in the p-Air collisions. Extrapolation to the SSC energy suggests ${\sigma }_{tot}(p-p)\approx (160-170)mb$. I also comment on a possible sensitivity of the p-Air cross section determinations to assumptions on the inelasticity of nuclear collisions at high energy.

Comments: <kph154@zam001.zam.kfa-juelich.de>. 6 pages, 0 figures