Abstract

This paper reports on the charged pion production yields measured by the SPY/NA56 experiment for 450 GeV/c proton interactions on beryllium targets. The present data cover a secondary momentum range from 7 GeV/c to 135 GeV/c in the forward direction. An experimental accuracy ranging from 5 to 10%, depending on the beam momentum, has been achieved, limited mainly by the knowledge of the beam acceptance. These results will be relevant in the calculation of neutrino fluxes in present and future neutrino beams. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.