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Investigation of lepton propagation through matter is of importance for cosmic-ray physics and neutrino astronomy. The diffractive scattering of virtual photons is considered as a process that leads to the energy loss of leptons emitting these photons. The interference between this process and bremsstrahlung makes a contribution that depends on the sign of the lepton charge.

Photonuclear interactions of super-high energy leptons are studied. The consideration is based on a two-component model of the inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering in the diffractive region proposed by authors. Parameters of the model are chosen by comparison of the model's predictions for electromagnetic structure functions of a nucleon with DESY data. Results of numerical calculations of photonuclear cross sections for muons and tau-leptons of super-high energies ( up to 10 9 GeV )and of the corresponding energy loss coefficients are presented.

The cross section for high energy muon bremsstrahlung on heavy atoms is calculated without the use of the Born approximation. It is shown that the correction to the Born approximation in the region of momentum transfers $q$ of the order of $\ensuremath{\mu}c$ has the same order of magnitude as the well-known correction of Davies, Bethe, and Maximon. It is shown also that these corrections have different signs and nearly compensate each other.

If muon neutrinos produced in cosmological sources oscillate, neutrino telescopes can have a chance to detect tau-neutrinos. In contrast to muon neutrinos the Earth is completely transparent for tau neutrinos thanks to the short life time of tau-leptons produced in charged current interactions. Tau-lepton decaysin flight producing another tau neutrino (regeneration chain). Thus, tau neutrinos cross the Earth without being absorbed, though loosing energy both in regeneration processes and in neutral current interactions. Neutrinos of all flavors can be detected in deep underwater/ice detectors by means of Cherenkov light emitted by charged leptons produced in neutrino interactions. Muon and tau-leptons have different energy loss features, which provide opportunities to identify tau-events among the multitude of muons. Some signatures of tau-leptons that can be firmly established and are background free have been proposed in literature, such as 'double bang' events. In this paper we present results of Monte Carlo simulations of tau-neutrino propagation through the Earth accounting for neutrino interactions, tau energy losses and tau decays. Parameterizations for hard part and corrections to the soft part of the photonuclear cross-section (which contributes a major part to tau energy losses) are presented. Different methods of tau-lepton identification in large underwater/ice neutrino telescopes are discussed. Finally, we present a calculation of tau neutrino double bang event rates in cubic km scale detectors., Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures, uses elsart.cls, elsart.sty, elsart12.sty, accepted by Astroparticle Physycs on March 20th, 2004

General formalism for a two-component description of the inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering in the diffractive region is proposed. Nonperturbative contribution to electromagnetic structure functions of a nucleon is described by the modified generalized vector dominance model containing special cut-off factors restricting the phase volume of initial qq-pairs of virtual photon's fluctuations. Perturbative QCD contribution is described by the phenomenological model suggested (in nonunitarized form) by Forshaw, Kerley and Shaw. Formulae needed for a numerical calculation of photonuclear cross sections integrated over Q^2 are presented. It is argued that in a case of the photonuclear cross sections at superhigh energies of leptons (E>=10^6GeV), integrated over Q^2, the following two-component scheme is good enough: the nonperturbative contribution is approximated by the old parameterization of Bezrukov and Bugaev, and perturbative one is described by the model of Forshaw, Kerley and Shaw with parameters determined from DESY data. Corresponding results of numerical calculations of the perturbative part, for the cases of muon and tau-lepton scattering at superhigh energies, are given., 30 pages, which includes 9 figures. In this new version we corrected the error in the fig.9

The analytical expression for angular integral flux of atmospheric muons in matter with the explicit relation of its parameters with those of the sea level spectrum is obtained. The fitting formula for the sea level muon spectrum at different zenith angles for spherical atmosphere is proposed. The concrete calculations for pure water are presented. Fluctuations of muon energy losses are taken into account by means of parametrized correction factor calculated using survival probabilities resulted from Monte Carlo simulations. Parametrizations of all continuous energy losses are obtained with using the most recent expressions for muon interaction cross-sections. The corresponding parametrization errors and field of method application are comprehensively discussed. The proposed formulae could be useful primarily for experimentalists processing data of arrays located deep under water or under ice.

We present a new Monte Carlo muon propagation algorithm MUM (MUons+Medium) which possesses some advantages over analogous algorithms presently in use. The most important features of algorithm are described. Results on the test for accuracy of treatment the muon energy loss with MUM are presented and analyzed. It is evaluated to be of 0.002 or better, depending upon simulation parameters. Contributions of different simplifications which are applied at Monte Carlo muon transportation to the resulting error are considered and ranked. It is shown that when simulating muon propagation through medium it is quite enough to account only for fluctuations in radiative energy loss with fraction of energy lost being as large as 0.05 -- 0.1. Selected results obtained with MUM are given and compared with ones from other algorithms., 24 pages, 15 .eps figures, uses aps.sty, aps10.sty, prabib.sty, revtex.sty. The preprint has been essentially changed and joined with hep-ph/0010323 in the frame of preparation for publication in Physical Review D

The deep underwater Cherenkov neutrino telescope NT-200 is currently under construction at Lake Baikal. The "subdetectors" NT-36 (1993-95) and NT-72 (1995-96) have been operating successfully over 3 years. Various techniques have been developed to search for magnetic monopoles with these arrays. Here we describe a method used to detect superheavy slowly moving (beta = v/c = 0.00001 - 0.001) monopoles catalyzing baryon decay. We present results obtained from the preliminary analysis of the data taken with NT-36 detector in 1993. Furthermore, possibilities to observe faster (beta = 0.2 - 1) monopoles via other effects are discussed.

Energy spectra and zenith-angle distributions of cosmic-ray muons, neutrinos and antineutrinos of prompt generation for energy interval (1÷106) TeV are calculated. For calculations of differential cross-sections of D±, D0,\(\bar D\)0 and Λc production inNN and πN interactions the recombination quark-parton model (RQPM) is used. Accounting of nuclear effects is done by using the additive quark model and the optical model of nucleus. Detailed comparison of results obtained in RQPM with corresponding predictions of quark-gluon string model (MQGS) is carried out. Dynamics of semi-leptonic D- and Λc and energy losses of muons in the atmosphere are taken into account. Calculations of hadronic cascades in the atmosphere are done with accounting of growth with energy of total inelastic hadron-nucleus cross-sections, steepening of primary cosmic-ray spectrum and processes of pion regeneration. The comparison of our calculations with experimental data and with calculations of other authors is given.