On the relation between the proton-air cross section and fluctuations of the shower longitudinal profile
Abstract
The current status and prospects of deducing the proton-air cross section from fluorescence telescope measurements of extensive air showers are discussed. As it is not possible to observe the point of first interaction, X 1, directly, other observables closely linked to X 1 must be inferred from the measured longitudinal profiles. This introduces a dependence on the models used to describe the shower development. Systematic uncertainties arising from this model dependence, from the reconstruction method itself and from a possible non-proton contamination of the selected shower sample are discussed.
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