Some general characteristics of Si-emulsion interactions at 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon

We present our observations on the salient features of the interactions produced by ²⁸Si nuclei of 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon in photographic emulsions. The results on the inelastic mean-free path and interaction cross section are presented and compared with the predictions of a geometrical model. Measurements on the multiplicity distribution, mean multiplicities, multiplicity correlations and multiplicity scaling of charged secondary particles are studied. A comparison with other available data at same/nearby incident momentum per nucleon from proton-nucleus and carbon-nucleus collisions is presented in order to examine the dependence on the projectile mass.     

Possible mechanisms of fragmentation of 16O nuclei with a momentum of 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon in track emulsions

The angular distributions of doubly charged fragments of ¹⁶O nuclei having a momentum of 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon and interacting with track-emulsion nuclei were studied. The experimental angular distributions of doubly charged fragments of a ¹⁶O nucleus are not described by the statistical model of the fragmentation of nuclei. The possible channels of fragmentation of ¹⁶O nuclei may include ¹⁶O → 2⁸Be → 4α, ¹⁶O → ⁸Be +⁸ Be* → 4α, ¹⁶O → 2⁸Be* → 4α, ¹⁶O → α+¹²C, ¹⁶O → α +¹²C* → α + 3α, ¹⁶O → α +¹²C* → α + pα ⁷Li, ¹⁶O → α +¹²C* → α + 2⁶Li, ¹⁶O → α +¹²C* → α + pt2α, ¹⁶O → Li + B, and ¹⁶O → Li* + B*.     

Pion and proton production in forward and backward hemisphere in C-emulsion interaction at 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon

The paper presents an in-depth study on the forward and backward multiplicity correlations in case of pions and protons (from the target) based on the experimental data on ¹²C-emulsion interaction at 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon. The cumulative distribution of their emission angles in the backward hemisphere is presented. The asymmetry parameter (A) and the forward-backward ratio (F/B) as a function of the number of heavy particles (n_h) is also shown. The results reveal many interesting characteristics regarding the backward particle production.     

Production of baryon resonances in collisions of 4He nuclei with carbon nuclei at a momentum of 4.2 GeV/c per nucleon

Under conditions of 4π geometry, Δ⁰-and Δ⁺⁺-resonance production in collisions of ⁴He nuclei with carbon nuclei at a momentum of 4.2 GeV/c per nucleon was investigated for the first time. The resonance masses and widths are estimated by analyzing the experimental and background invariant-mass distributions of (pπ ^±) pairs. Contributions to pion production from Δ-resonance decays, as well as from direct pion production, are determined. The results are compared with corresponding data obtained for CC collisions at the same primary momentum of 4.2 GeV/c per nucleon. By and large, the results obtained here comply with the existence of a collective mechanism of delta-isobar excitation in nuclei.     

Formation of six-nucleon systems and nuclei in 16Op collisions at a momentum of 3.25 GeV/c per nucleon

The results obtained by studying the production of six-nucleon systems and nuclei that is accompanied by the yield of charged pions in ¹⁶Op collisions at a momentum of 3.25 GeV/c per nucleon are presented. It is shown that the correlation of the yield of mirror ³H (³He) nuclei with the production of π ⁺ (π ^?) mesons is due to the charge-exchange process involving an oxygen-nucleus proton (neutron) knocked out predominantly from an alpha-particle cluster.     

Interactions of12C ions with emulsion nuclei at momentum 4.2 GeV/c per nucleon and the cascading-evaporation model

Transport equations (master and Fokker-Planck equations) are derived in the Markov approximation. The main features of weak and strong coupling are presented. In the weak-coupling limit conservative and dissipative effects from the coupling are separated according to virtual and real transitions. For the strong-coupling limit the Markov approximation is justified only after the ad hoc restriction to on-shell transitions. The main reason for the occurrence of the strong-coupling limit is attributed to the specification of global many-particle quantities for the intrinsic degrees of freedom. It is concluded that the alternative treatment of single-particle quantities is advantageous.     

Features of CC interactions at a momentum of 4.2 GeV/c per nucleon for various degrees of nuclear-collision centrality

The multiplicity, rapidity, and transverse-momentum distributions of secondaries (negative pions and protons) from CC interactions characterized by various numbers of participant protons are presented. It is shown that, in contrast to the mean transverse momenta of protons, the mean transverse momenta of pions depend only slightly on the degree of collision centrality. The shape of the rapidity distributions of negative pions is also weakly dependent on the degree of collision centrality. With decreasing impact parameter, the product protons are found to concentrate in the central rapidity region. The data in question are analyzed within the modified version of the FRITIOF model. It is shown that, as soon as elastic nucleon rescatterings are taken into account, the model describes satisfactorily the experimental features of negative pions and fast protons. The spectra of slow protons are described only qualitatively because of limitations of the evaporation model used here to treat the deexcitation of residual nuclei.     

Inelastic hadron-nucleus interactions at 20 and 37 GeV/c

The experiment studies charged particle production for π^?, K^?, and $\text{p}$ interactions on nuclei at 20 and 37 GeV/c at the CERN SPS. A non-magnetic detector, consisting of CsI(Tl) scintillation and lucite ?erenkov counters, distinguishes between fast particles, mainly pions, and slow particles, mainly nucleons, with a cut at velocity β ≈ 0.7. Angular distributions, multiplicity distributions and correlations of slow and fast particles were analysed. It is shown that the measurement of the correlations can provide a critical test for different theoretical models of the hadron-nucleus interaction. At the energies studied so far a systematic deviation from KNO scaling is observed. This gives further support to the “standard picture” of the hadron-nucleus interaction and it contrasts with predictions of the coherent-tube model. The regularity observed for the angular distribution of fast secondaries as a function of the number of slow particles can only be explained by combining features predicted by different models.     

Yields and transverse momenta of the 6Li fragments in the emulsion at 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon

We present the results of the study of interaction of the relativistic ⁶Li nucleus with the momentum 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon with the photoemulsion. Yields of the ¹H (³He) and ²H (⁴He) isotopes due to the fragmentation of ⁶Li are found to be almost equal. Cross sections for the charge exchange and pickup reactions are found to be σ_exch=9±2 mb. The distributions of the fragment transverse momenta projected onto the emulsion plane are used to obtain the nucleon Fermi momentum of ⁶Li, P_F, this value being equal to 129±8 MeV/c. The high momentum component in the transverse momentum distributions of ³He and ⁴He isotopes is observed. Received: 4 August 1997     

Multifragmentation of Gold nuclei in the interactions with photoemulsion nuclei at 10.7 GeV/nucleon

Recent results from the EMU-01/12 collaboration are presented for 10.7 GeV/nucleon gold nuclei interactions in emulsion. The distributions of “bound” charge (Z _bound , Z _b3 ), multiplicity distributions, fragment correlations and fluctuations are discussed. The data are compared to similar results obtained on the ALADIN setup at 600 MeV/nucleon. It is shown that multifragmentation of gold nuclei at high and intermediate energies has common features. It is also obtained that the IMFs have reduced multiplicity at high energies. The data are analyzed within the scope of the statistical model of multifragmentation. This model requires the following predetermined model ingredients: mass, charge and excitation energy of nuclear residuals. The simple estimation method of these characteristics is proposed in the framework of the Glauber approach. It is shown that the multifragmentation model reproduces qualitatively the present data. A dramatic discrepancy between the predicted and experimental yield of two charged fragments is found. The evolution of transverse momentum of fragments as a function of Z _bound is presented. It is shown that the model greatly underpredicts the transverse momentum of fragments. It is interpreted as evidence of a strong radial flow of spectator fragments.     

Analyzing the features of π− mesons and protons from AC interactions at a momentum of p=4.2 GeV/c per projectile nucleon on the basis of the FRITIOF model

The mean multiplicities of π^? mesons and protons originating from pC, dC, αC, and CC interactions at a momentum of p=4.2 GeV/c per projectile nucleon and the distributions of these particles in kinematical variables are presented. These experimental distributions are compared with the corresponding predictions obtained on the basis of the FRITIOF model. It is shown that the FRITIOF version used in the present analysis describes satisfactorily our experimental data.     

Coherent dissociation of oxygen into four alphas in photoemulsion at 4.5 A GeV/c

The search for and study of the coherent dissociation reaction ¹⁶O → 4 have been made at 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon in emulsion. The momentum and correlation characteristics of alphas cannot be described by the statistical model of prompt fragmentation. The decay “temperature” is considerably smaller than one for the usual multifragmentation of relativistic projectiles.     

Contribution of excited nuclei 12C* to the channel of three-alpha-particle production in 16Op collisions at a momentum of 3.25 GeV/c per nucleon

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - A phenomenological analysis of the channel involving the production of three alpha particles in collisions of relativistic oxygen nuclei with protons is performed for the...     

Higher baryon resonances in carbon-carbon collisions at 4.2 GeV/c per nucleon

The production of the N(1440), the so-called Roper, and N(1520) resonances in high-energy collisions of carbon nuclei with the carbon nucleus, using a 2 m propane bubble chamber, was investigated. Attention was paid to the two-pion decay mode of the higher baryon resonances. From the invariant masses of three-particle states the mass and width of the resonances were obtained. The ratio of the resonances decay to and states was estimated.Received: 1 July 2003, Revised: 29 September 2003, Published online: 20 April 2004PACS: 25.70.Ef Resonances - 14.20.Gk Baryon resonances with S = 0     

A study of inelastic interactions of deuterons and alphas in an emulsion at ∼3.6 GeV/nucleon

Various experimental characteristics of multiple production in deuteron-nucleus and alpha particle-nucleus interactions in an emulsion at ～3.6 GeV/n have been studied in dependence on the atomic number of a target and the number of interacting projectile nucleons. The data obtained do not demonstrate the noticeable collective phenomena and give the strong support to the idea that at energies of about a few GeV per nucleon the cascade mechanism is responsible for global features of heavy ion interactions.     

Production of $ \Delta$(1232) -resonances on oxygen nuclei in 16O + p collisions at a momentum of 3.25 GeV/c per nucleon

The production of D⁺⁺ \Delta^{{++}}_{} and D⁰ \Delta^{0}_{} resonances on oxygen nuclei in ¹⁶O + p interactions at 3.25A GeV/c was investigated with 4p \pi acceptance. The masses and widths of the resonances were obtained from an analysis of the experimental and background invariant-mass distributions of pp^± \pi^{{\pm}}_{} pairs. The fractions of charged pions coming from D⁺⁺ \Delta^{{++}}_{} and D⁰ \Delta^{0}_{} decay were estimated. The momentum, kinetic energy, and emission angle distributions of D⁺⁺ \Delta^{{++}}_{} and D⁰ \Delta^{0}_{} resonances were reconstructed in the oxygen nucleus rest frame. The slope parameters, T₀ , of the reconstructed spectra of invariant cross-sections of D⁺⁺ \Delta^{{++}}_{} and D⁰ \Delta^{0}_{} resonances, produced on oxygen nuclei in ¹⁶O + p interactions at 3.25A GeV/c , were determined.     

Elastic scattering of antiprotons on protons at 5 GeV/c evidence for a backward peak

Antiproton-proton elastic scattering has been measured at 5 GeV/c. A total of 30 000 events were observed in the angular range 17° < θ_cm < 136°, corresponding to 0.3 < −t < 7.7 (GeV/c²). In addition to the known dip at −t = 0.5 (GeV/c)², we observe a structure at about −t = 2 (GeV/c)² and a backward peak with a slope4.1 ± 0.6 (GeV/c)². The extrapolated differential cross-section at u = 0 is 1.3 ± 0.8 μb/(GeV/c)².