Data on multiplicities of charged particles produced in proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at 200 GeV per nucleon are presented. It is shown that the mean multiplicity of negative particles is proportional to the mean number of nucleons participating in the collision both for nucleus-nucleus and proton-nucleus collisions. The apparent consistency of pion multiplicity data with the assumption of an incoherent superposition of nucleon-nucleon collisions is critically discussed.

The ALICE Collaboration has measured inclusive J/psi production in pp collisions at a center of mass energy sqrt(s)=2.76 TeV at the LHC. The results presented in this Letter refer to the rapidity ranges |y|<0.9 and 2.5<y<4 and have been obtained by measuring the electron and muon pair decay channels, respectively. The integrated luminosities for the two channels are L^e_int=1.1 nb^-1 and L^mu_int=19.9 nb^-1, and the corresponding signal statistics are N_J/psi^e+e-=59 +/- 14 and N_J/psi^mu+mu-=1364 +/- 53. We present dsigma_J/psi/dy for the two rapidity regions under study and, for the forward-y range, d^2sigma_J/psi/dydp_t in the transverse momentum domain 0<p_t<8 GeV/c. The results are compared with previously published results at sqrt(s)=7 TeV and with theoretical calculations.

Data on the mean multiplicity of strange hadrons produced in minimum bias proton--proton and central nucleus--nucleus collisions at momenta between 2.8 and 400 GeV/c per nucleon have been compiled. The multiplicities for nucleon--nucleon interactions were constructed. The ratios of strange particle multiplicity to participant nucleon as well as to pion multiplicity are larger for central nucleus--nucleus collisions than for nucleon--nucleon interactions at all studied energies. The data at AGS energies suggest that the latter ratio saturates with increasing masses of the colliding nuclei. The strangeness to pion multiplicity ratio observed in nucleon--nucleon interactions increases with collision energy in the whole energy range studied. A qualitatively different behaviour is observed for central nucleus--nucleus collisions: the ratio rapidly increases when going from Dubna to AGS energies and changes little between AGS and SPS energies. This change in the behaviour can be related to the increase in the entropy production observed in central nucleus-nucleus collisions at the same energy range. The results are interpreted within a statistical approach. They are consistent with the hypothesis that the Quark Gluon Plasma is created at SPS energies, the critical collision energy being between AGS and SPS energies.

Data on the mean multiplicity ofπ- produced in minimum bias proton-proton, proton-neutron and proton-nucleus interactions as well as central nucleus-nucleus collisions at momenta of 1.4–400 GeV/c per nucleon have been compiled and studied. The results for neutron-neutron and nucleon-nucleon interactions were then constructed. The dependence of the mean pion multiplicity in proton-nucleus interactions and central collisions of identical nuclei are studied as a function of the collision energy and the nucleus mass number. The number of produced pions per participant nucleon in central collisions of identical nuclei is found to be independent of the number of participants at a fixed incident momentum per nucleon. The mean multiplicity of negatively charged hadrons per participant nucleon for central nucleus-nucleus collisions is lower by about 0.12 than the corresponding multiplicity for nucleon-nucleon interactions atpLAB≲15 A·GeV/c, whereas the result at 200 A·GeV/c is above the corresponding nucleon-nucleon multiplicity. This may indicate change of the collision dynamics at high energy.

The beam energy and invariant mass dependence of the dielectron yield in p + d interactions relative to the yield in p + p interactions is presented for incident kinetic energies from 1.0–4.9 GeV. The ratio of the yield in p + d interactions to that in p + p interactions decreases from 10.5±1.6 at 1.0 GeV to 1.96±0.08 at 4.9 GeV for electron pairs with invariant masses ⩾ 0.15 GeV/ c 2 . The large ratio at 1.0 GeV suggests that dielectron production in the p + d system is dominated by a p + n process. The beam energy dependence of the ratio indicates that this p + n contribution decreases with respect to the other dielectron sources as the incident energy is increased.

Forward differential cross sections for isospin-1 bosons produced in p+p→d+x+ were measured using a deuteron missing-mass spectrometer at a small angle between 4.0- and 12.3−GeVc incident momentum. Differential cross sections for π+ and ρ+ were extracted from the spectra using phase-space backgrounds. They range from 10.4 to 0.4 μb/sr for π+ and from 1.4 to 0.3 μb/sr for ρ+. A bump near 6 GeVc appears in both dπ and dρ channels. No clear evidence is seen for higher-mass bosons. The possible δ+ cross sections average less than 0.01 μb/sr.

The total proton-proton cross section (excluding Coulomb scattering) has been measured at energies from 410 Mev up to 2.6 Bev, using external beams from the Cosmotron. Fast counting equipment was used to measure the attenuation of the beams through polyethylene, carbon, and liquid H2 absorbers. At each energy E, σp−p(E, Ω) was measured as a function of the solid angle Ω subtended by the rear counter at the center of the absorber. The total cross section σp−p was obtained by a least squares straight line extrapolation to Ω=0. The measured σp−p as a function of energy rises sharply from 26.5 mb at 410 Mev to 47.8 mb at 830 Mev and then remains approximately constant out to 1.4 Bev, above which energy it decreases gradually to about 42 mb at 2.6 Bev. Using the same equipment and procedure, we have also measured the D2O-H2O difference cross section, called "σp−n," for protons over the same energy range. From a comparison of "σp−n," and σp−p, with the n−p and n−d measurements of Coor et al. at 1.4 Bev, it is apparent that one nucleon is "shielded" by the other in the deuteron. This effect is not present at energies below 410 Mev. Comparing the measured p−p and "p−n" (corrected) cross sections with the results of other high-energy experiments, one may infer the following conclusions: (1) The sharp rise in σp−p from 400 to 800 Mev results from increasing single pion production, which may proceed through the T=32, J=32 excited nucleon state. (2) Above 1 Bev the inelastic (meson production) p−p cross section appears to be approximately saturated at 27-29 mb. (3) The rise in cross section for n−p interaction in the T=0 state, associated with the rise in double pion production, implies that double meson production also proceeds through the T=32 nucleon state. (4) The probable equality of σp−d and σn−d at 1.4 Bev implies the validity of charge symmetry at this energy.

Elastic scattering, single-pion and deuteron production have been investigated. The cross-section for elastic scattering is σelastic = (13.5±0.3) mb. The angular distribution has been fitted to dσ/d|t|=(dσ/d|t|)0 e −bt in the region of low values oft. The best fit givesb=(6.7±0.5) (GeV/c)−2 and (dσ/d|t|)0=(91±5) mb(GeV/c)−2. The cross-sections for ppπ0, pnπ+ reactions are respectively (2.6±0.3) mb and (9.7±0.4) mb. These reactions are dominated by the (3/2, 3/2) nucleonpion isobar production and by forward backward collimation of the nucleons. The production rates for the isobars ++1238 , +1238 , +1500 have been estimated, taking into account the experimental peripheral behaviour of the interaction. In the pnπ+ reaction they are (50±2)%; (10±3)%; (4±3)%. In the ppπ+ reaction the production of ++1238 is estimated to be (45±10)%. The dπ+ and dπ+π+π- reaction cross-sections are respectively (0.03±0.01) mb, and (0.04±0.01) mb.