Central collisions of 800-GeV protons with the heavy components of nuclear emulsion, Ag107 and Br80, have been investigated to determine the characteristics of small-impact-parameter collisions and, by comparison with the analysis of inclusive proton-emulsion inelastic interactions and inelastic proton-nucleon collisions, to study the dependence of the interaction process on the mean number of intranuclear collisions 〈ν〉. The data are also compared with the results obtained in proton-emulsion collisions, both central and inclusive, at 200 GeV. The variations in the secondary-particle multiplicities and the normalized pseudorapidity density correlate with 〈ν〉 and demonstrate that proton-nucleus interactions, both central and inclusive, can be described adequately by the incoherent superposition of proton-nucleon collisions.
We report on measurements of charged pion production cross sections at θ ≅ 50°, p T ≅ 3–9 GeV / c and √ s = 45 GeV , taken with the Split Field Magnet Detector at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR). Together with previous data at √ s = 62 GeV , this allows the calculation of the exponent n assuming a power law dependence p n T . Values of n ≈ 8 are found at low x T = 2 p T /√ s which drop to about 7 at x T ≈ 0.3. The measured values of π + /π − rise with x T and approach ≈ 2 at x T ≈ 0.3. A first-order QCD calculations is reasonably consistent with the data.
The ratios of high p T charged kaon to pion production cross sections at √ s = 45 and 62 GeV are presented. The values of the K ± π ± ratios are essentially independent of both √ s and x T = 2p T √s and are compatible with a strangeness suppression factor λ = 0.55. By contrast, the K − π − values fall with x T suggesting a gluonic origin of K − . QCD calculations agrees with the measurements.
Data are reported on the momentum distributions of Λ, Λ (1520), φ (1020), Λ and p , inclusively produced between 1° and 2° with respect to one of the primary proton beams at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings. In addition, the decay angular distribution of the Λ(1520), the ratio of the cross sections for the production of Σ − (1385) and Σ + (1385) and the ratios among different charge states of the pairs Λπ , Λ K, Δ ++ (1232) π and ππ have been measured. These data are confronted with current ideas on fragmentation.
In pp collisions at √ s = 44.7 and 62.3 GeV, where each proton fragments into at least one low- p T, high- x meson or baryon, no correlations between the particle momenta are found for ππ , π K, KK, and p π pairs. The ππ data show a preference for the formation of electrically neutral ππ systems. The KK data show the influence of strangeness conservation. For pp and pΛ final states, the momentum dependence of the correlation ratio R can be described by the scaling variable z = (1 − x 1 )(1 − x 2 ). Small deviations from factorization are discussed.
The pseudorapidity density and multiplicity distribution of charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions at the LHC, at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV, were measured in the central pseudorapidity region |$\eta$| < 1. Comparisons are made with previous measurements at $\sqrt{s}$ = 0.9 TeV and 2.36 TeV. At $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV, for events with at least one charged particle in |$\eta$| < 1, we obtain dNch/deta = 6.01 $\pm$ 0.01 (stat.) $^{+0.20}_{-0.12}$ (syst.). This corresponds to an increase of 57.6% $\pm$ 0.4% (stat.) $^{+3.6}_{-1.8}$% (syst.) relative to collisions at 0.9 TeV, significantly higher than calculations from commonly used models. The multiplicity distribution at 7 TeV is described fairly well by the negative binomial distribution.