Tau energy losses at ultra-high energy: continuous versus stochastic treatment

• Published in: arXiv.org
• Main Authors: Oscar Blanch Bigas, Deligny, Olivier, Payet, Kevin, Veronique Van Elewyck
• Format: Paper Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 08.02.2008
• Subjects: Leptons; Physics - Astrophysics of Galaxies; Physics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics; Physics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics; Physics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena; Physics - High Energy Physics - Phenomenology; Physics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics; Physics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
• ISSN: 2331-8422
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.0802.1119

We study the energy losses of the tau lepton in matter through electromagnetic processes at ultra-high energy (UHE). We use both a stochastic and a continuous framework to treat these interactions and compare the flux of tau leptons propagated after some amount of matter. We discuss the accuracy of the approximation of continuous energy losses by studying the propagation in standard rock of taus with both mono-energetic and power law injection spectra.