Energy losses of high-energy muons and τ-leptons in inelastic scattering by nuclei

A hybrid model is used to calculate the losses of muons and τ-leptons in inelastic scattering by nuclei in water and in ground. The model includes soft and semihard photoprocesses and also hard scattering with an exchange by a γ-photon and a Z 0-boson. In the calculations, nuclear effects, such as shading and antiscreening of nucleons, the EMC effect, and the Fermi motion of nucleons in a nucleus, are considered. The distinction in scattering between a particle and an antiparticle, conditioned by an admixture of a weak neutral current, is discussed. Comparison with other calculations is given. Formulas for the coefficients of energy losses of muons and τ-leptons in water and in ground are obtained which approximate the calculation results over a wide interval of energies: 10 2-10 9 GeV. © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.