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.

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The transverse momentum and rapidity distributions of net protons and negatively charged hadrons have been measured for minimum bias proton-nucleus and deuteron-gold interactions, as well as central oxygen-gold and sulphur-nucleus collisions at 200 GeV per nucleon. The rapidity density of net protons at midrapidity in central nucleus-nucleus collisions increases both with target mass for sulphur projectiles and with the projectile mass for a gold target. The shape of the rapidity distributions of net protons forward of midrapidity for d+Au and central S+Au collisions is similar. The average rapidity loss is larger than 2 units of rapidity for reactions with the gold target. The transverse momentum spectra of net protons for all reactions can be described by a thermal distribution with `temperatures' between 145 +- 11 MeV (p+S interactions) and 244 +- 43 MeV (central S+Au collisions). The multiplicity of negatively charged hadrons increases with the mass of the colliding system. The shape of the transverse momentum spectra of negatively charged hadrons changes from minimum bias p+p and p+S interactions to p+Au and central nucleus-nucleus collisions. The mean transverse momentum is almost constant in the vicinity of midrapidity and shows little variation with the target and projectile masses. The average number of produced negatively charged hadrons per participant baryon increases slightly from p+p, p+A to central S+S,Ag collisions.

Results on charged pion and kaon production in central Pb+Pb collisions at 20A and 30A GeV are presented and compared to data at lower and higher energies. A rapid change of the energy dependence is observed around 30A GeV for the yields of pions and kaons as well as for the shape of the transverse mass spectra. The change is compatible with the prediction that the threshold for production of a state of deconfined matter at the early stage of the collisions is located at low SPS energies.

The inclusive production of charged hadrons in the collisions of quasi-real photons e+e- -> e+e- +X has been measured using the OPAL detector at LEP. The data were taken at e+e- centre-of-mass energies from 183 to 209 GeV. The differential cross-sections as a function of the transverse momentum and the pseudorapidity of the hadrons are compared to theoretical calculations of up to next-to-leading order (NLO) in the strong coupling constant alpha{s}. The data are also compared to a measurement by the L3 Collaboration, in which a large deviation from the NLO predictions is observed.

We report on the results of the study of e + e − collisions at the highest PETRA energy of √ s = 31.57 GeV, using the 4π sr, electromagnetic and calorimetric detector Mark J. Based on 88 hadron events, and an integrated luminosity of 243 nb −1 we obtain R = σ (e + e − → hadrons)/ σ (e + e − → μ + μ − ) = 4.0 ± 0.5 (statistical) ± 6 (systematic). The R value, the measured thrust distribution and average spherocity show no evidence for the production of new quark flavors.

We present the first direct measurements of charged-particle multiplicity distributions for pp collisions at ISR energies. The measurements are performed by means of a streamer chamber detector with large solid-angle coverage and excellent multitrack efficiency. Particle densities are observed to rise in the central region as s increases. The multiplicity distributions in this region deviate from a Poisson Law, thus giving evidence for correlations. These correlations are of the same type as those obtained from clustering of the collision products. The mean charged multiplicity over the full rapidity range increases faster than log s . Our data do not support an early onset of KNO multiplicity scaling.

The Mark J Collaboration at the DESY e+e− collider PETRA presents results on the electroweak reactions e+e−→μ+μ−τ+τ−,μ+μ−γ, and e+e−μ+μ−. The c.m. energy range is 12 to 46.78 GeV. In the μ+μ− and τ+τ− channels the total cross sections and the forward-backward asymmetries are reported and compared with other experiments. The results are in excellent agreement with the standard model. The weak-neutral-current vector and axial-vector coupling constants are determined. The values for muons and τ’s are compatible with universality and with the predictions of the standard model. In the μ+μ−γ channel, all measured distributions, including the forward-backward muon asymmetry, are in excellent agreement with the electroweak theory. Our data on the two-photon process, e+e−μ+μ−, agrees with QED to order α4 over the entire energy range and the Q2 range from 0.7 to 166 GeV2.

We report on χc1 and χc2 production in the Feynman-x range 0.1<xF<0.8 in 515GeV/c π−Be collisions. The χc states are observed via their radiative decays into J/ψ's. The resulting photons are detected either as showers in the electromagnetic calorimeter or after conversion in the target as e+e− pairs in the tracking system. The fraction of J/ψ production due to χc1 and χc2 decays is 0.443±0.041±0.035. The ratio of the χc1 to χc2 cross section is 0.57±0.18±0.06. Our results on J/ψ, ψ(2S), and χc production indicate that 0.454±0.044±0.042 of J/ψ's are produced directly.

We report the first observation of diffractively produced open charm in 800−GeV/c pp collisions of the type pp→pD*X. We measure cross sections of σdiff(D*+)=(0.185±0.044±0.054)μb and σdiff(D*−)=(0.174±0.034±0.029)μb. Our measurements are based on 4.3×109 events recorded by FNAL E690 in the fixed-target run of 1991. We compare our results with previous fixed-target charm experiments.