Update on the Status of the FLUKA Monte Carlo Transport Code

The FLUKA Monte Carlo transport code is a well-known simulation tool in High Energy Physics. FLUKA is a dynamic tool in the sense that it is being continually updated and improved by the authors. Here we review the progresses achieved in the last year on the physics models. From the point of view of hadronic physics, most of the effort is still in the field of nucleus--nucleus interactions. The currently available version of FLUKA already includes the internal capability to simulate inelastic nuclear interactions beginning with lab kinetic energies of 100 MeV/A up the the highest accessible energies by means of the DPMJET-II.5 event generator to handle the interactions for greater than 5 GeV/A and rQMD for energies below that. The new developments concern, at high energy, the embedding of the DPMJET-III generator, which represent a major change with respect to the DPMJET-II structure. This will also allow to achieve a better consistency between the nucleus-nucleus section with the original FLUKA model for hadron-nucleus collisions. Work is also in progress to implement a third event generator model based on the Master Boltzmann Equation approach, in order to extend the energy capability from 100 MeV/A down to the threshold for these reactions. In addition to these extended physics capabilities, structural changes to the programs input and scoring capabilities are continually being upgraded. In particular we want to mention the upgrades in the geometry packages, now capable of reaching higher levels of abstraction. Work is also proceeding to provide direct import into ROOT of the FLUKA output files for analysis and to deploy a user-friendly GUI input interface

A measurement of the proton, helium and CNO fluxes at E0~100 TeV from the EAS- TOP (Cherenkov) and MACRO (TeV Muon) data at the Gran Sasso Laboratories

The primary cosmic ray proton, helium and CNO fluxes in the energy range 80-300 TeV are studied at the Na- tional Gran Sasso Laboratories by means of EAS-TOP and MACRO detectors. Proton and helium (’p+He’) and proton, helium and CNO (’p+He+CNO’) primaries are selected at 80 TeV, and at 250 TeV respec- tively. Results of this measurement have been interpreted using three different interaction models (QGSJET, SYBILL and DPMJET) inside the CORSIKA framework. Results using all interaction models show a domi- nance of the helium component in the 80-300 TeV region