Explaining Centauro events by formation of pions in the isospin singlet channel

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Abstract
Peculiar cosmic ray events (Centauros) with anomalously large fluctuations in their isosopin composition have been observed during the past twenty years. Multiparticle symmetrization has been put forward as an explanation of the effect. In this Letter we show how the formation of pions through the sigma channel when combined with symmetrization can lead to a scenario where the isospin distribution is not only broadened but inverted. For reasonable choices of parameters we find that events can actually prefer consisting of either nearly all neutral or all charged pions.