Inclusive two-and three-particle rapidity correlations in high-energy hadron-nucleus collisions

Three-particle pseudorapidity correlations are investigated for relativistic secondaries from proton-nucleus interactions at 50, 67, 200 and 400 GeV/c and from pion-nucleus interactions at 50 and 200 GeV/c. The experimental data on two- and three-particle correlations are compared with quantitative predictions of current multiple scattering models of nuclear production. Within these models the influence of various factors on the magnitude of correlations is discussed and it is shown, in particular, that energy-momentum conservation plays an essential role at present accelerator energies.