Inclusive π − spectra have been measured for 14 N+C collisions at 41 A , 67 A , 80 A and 135 A MeV, the lowest energies measured for the charged pion. The cross sections fall exponentially with T π and the exponential slope factors at 90° in the nucleon-nucleon center of mass frame are determined. Energy distributions below a beam energy of 100 A MeV are less steep than expected from the monotonic decrease of the slope factor down to 100 A MeV. The production mechanism of energetic pions far below threshold is discussed for several models.
Charged particle production in central S-S collisions at 200 GeV/ c per nucleon has been studied by the WA94 experiment at the CERN-SPS. Particle identification has been provided by the Omega RICH, while a silicon telescope in the Omega spectrometer and an array of MultiWire Proportional Chambers have been used to trace particles through the RICH detector. Production ratios and transverse mass spectra for π ± , K ± and p( p ) at central rapidity and p T > 1.3 GeV/ c are presented.
We have measured the inclusive cross section for production of negative pions near mid-rapidity in 20 Ne + NaF , 139 La + 139 La and 197 Au + 197 Au collisions at E = 183 and 236 MeV/u. Au + Au is the heaviest system from which subthreshold pion production has been measured to date. The dependence of the pion cross section on pion energy, beam energy and associated charged particle multiplicity is consistent with previous results both above and below threshold. The dependence of the cross section on the mass of the colliding system varies only slightly as the beam energy is reduced below threshold, in contrast to some previous measurements. Comparison with theory suggests that at these energies the pion production process is still dominated by nucleon-nucleon collisions.
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