Cosmic ray results on the A dependence of multiplicity and angular distributions in proton nuclear interactions above 100 GeV

A calorimeter-spark chamber system was used to collect data on several hundred proton-nucleus interactions above 100 GeV using targets of C, Al, Fe, Sn and Pb. The average charged prong multiplicity is found to depend on atomic mass number as <n"c> = <n"c>(p-p)A^x where x = 0.1...
Ausführliche Beschreibung

A calorimeter-spark chamber system was used to collect data on several hundred proton-nucleus interactions above 100 GeV using targets of C, Al, Fe, Sn and Pb. The average charged prong multiplicity is found to depend on atomic mass number as <n"c> = <n"c>(p-p)A^x where x = 0.129 +/- 0.004, with the dominant increase in multiplicity occuring in the backward (p-p c.m.) hemisphere. The value of x shows no significant energy dependence. Ausführliche Beschreibung