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At least 19 records

Momentum loss in proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions

An optical model description, based on multiple scattering theory, of longitudinal momentum loss in proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions is presented. The crucial role of the imaginary component of the nucleon-nucleon transition matrix in accounting for longitudinal momentum transfer is demonstrated. Results obtained with this model are compared with Intranuclear Cascade (INC) calculations, as well as with predictions from Vlasov-Uehling-Uhlenbeck (VUU) and quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) simulations. Comparisons are also made with experimental data where available. These indicate that the present model is adequate to account for longitudinal momentum transfer in both proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions over a wide range of energies.

Khan, Ferdous↗

Analytic optical potentials for nucleon-nucleus nucleus-nucleus collisions involving light and medium nuclei

Utilizing an optical model potential approximation to the exact nucleus-nucleus multiple-scattering series, optical potentials for nucleon-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions are analytically derived. These expressions are applicable to light and medium cosmic ray nuclei as their single-particle density distributions are analytically determined, without approximation, from their actual harmonic well charge density distributions. Pauli correlation effects are included through the use of a simple Gaussian function to replace the usual expression obtained in the infinite nuclear matter approximation.

Bidasaria, H. B.↗

Higgs-Boson Production in Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions

Cross section calculations are presented for the production of intermediate-mass Higgs bosons produced in ultrarelativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions via two photon fusion. The calculations are performed in position space using Baur's method for folding together the Weizsacker-Williams virtual-photon spectra of the two colliding nuclei. It is found that two photon fusion in nucleus-nucleus collisions is a plausible way of finding intermediate-mass Higgs bosons at the Superconducting Super Collider or the CERN Large Hadron Collider.

Norbury, John W.↗

Higgs-boson production in nucleus-nucleus collisions

Cross-section calculations are presented for the production of intermediate-mass Higgs bosons produced in ultrarelativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions via two-photon fusion. The calculations are performed in position space using Baur's method for folding together the Weizsacker-Williams virtual-photon spectra of the two colliding nuclei. It is found that two-photon fusion in nucleus-nucleus collisions is a plausible way of finding intermediate-mass Higgs bosons at the Superconducting Super Collider or the CERN Large Hadron Collider.

NASA Discipline Radiation Health↗

Nucleus-nucleus interactions between 20 and 65 GeV per nucleon

A hybrid electronic-counter/emulsion-chamber instrument was exposed to high-energy cosmic rays on a balloon. The data on 105 nucleus-nucleus collisions in the energy range 20-65 GeV/nucleon and for incident nuclear charges Zp in the range of 22 to 28 are presented. Inclusive characteristics of particle production on different targets (plastic, emulsion, and lead) are shown and compared with models based on the superposition of nucleon-nucleus interactions. Features of a subset of the more central collisions with a plastic target and some characteristics of individual events with the highest multiplicity of produced particles are described.

Burnett, T. H.↗

The chemical composition of cosmic ray nuclei above 1.3 GeV per nucleus and 23 GeV per nucleus

Measurements made with a balloon-borne counter telescope are reported. The telescope was flown from Palestine, Tex., during the fall of 1971 for a total of 10 hours under an average residual atmospheric depth of 4.4 g per sq cm. The data analysis indicates that the integral flux ratios above 1.3 GeV per nucleus and 23 GeV per nucleus are consistent with energy independence.

Badhwar, G. D.↗

Nucleus-nucleus scattering at high energies

Nucleus-nucleus scattering is treated in the Glauber approximation. The usual optical limit result, generally thought to improve as the number of nucleons in the colliding nuclei increases, is found to be the first term of a series which diverges for large nuclei. Corrections to the optical limit are obtained which provide a means of performing realistic calculations for collisions involving light nuclei. Total cross section predictions agree well with recent measurements.

Franco, V.↗

On the geometric nature of high energy nucleus-nucleus reaction cross sections

Within the context of a high energy double-folding optical potential approximation to the exact nucleus-nucleus multiple-scattering series, eikonal scattering theory is used to investigate the validity of geometric reaction cross sections in relativistic heavy ion collisions. The potential used includes a finite range interaction and nuclear single-particle densities extracted from nuclear charge distributions by unfolding the finite proton charge distribution. Pauli correlation effects are also included in an approximate way. The sensitivity of the predictions to the assumed interaction, Pauli correlation approximation, and nuclear density distributions is investigated. These results are in agreement with early predictions concerning the geometric nature of relativistic heavy ion collisions and in disagreement with a recent analysis, utilizing the zero range approximation, which suggested otherwise. Reasons for the lack of agreement between the analyses are also presented. Finally, approximate applicability limits for geometric reaction cross sections are determined.

Townsend, L. W.↗

Observation of direct hadronic pairs in nucleus-nucleus collisions in JACEE emulsion chambers

In a number of high energy ( or = 1 TeV/amu) nucleus-nucleus collisions observed in Japanese-American Cooperative Emulsion Experiment (JACEE) emulsion chambers, nonrandom spatial association of produced charged particles, mostly hadronic pairs, are observed. Similar narrow pairs are observed in about 100 events at much low energy (20 to 60 GeV/amu). Analysis shows that 30 to 50% of Pair abundances are understood by the Hambury-Brown-Twiss effect, and the remainder seems to require other explanations.

Burnett, T. H.↗

The effect of the relative nuclear size on the nucleus-nucleus interactions

The experimental data on the interactions of light nuclei (d, He(4), C(12)) at the momentum 4.2 GeV/cA with the carbon nuclei were taken in the 2-m propane bubble chamber. The distributions in the number of interacting nucleons, the spectra of protons, the mean energies of secondary pions and protons, the mean fractions of energy transferred to the pion and nucleon components are presented. The results of the investigation of the mechanism of nucleus-nucleus interactions can be used to calculate the nuclear cascades in the atmosphere.

Erofeeva, I. N.↗

Comet nucleus gamma-ray spectrometer penetrator - An in situ nucleus composition experiment

An engineering design study of a comet nucleus penetrator system for in situ determinations of comet composition is presented. The system is designed for participation in the Comet Rendezvous/Asteroid Flyby mission to comet Kopff in 1996. The instrumentation payload of the penetrator system will include a passive gamma-ray spectrometer; a high frequency response accelerometer for measurements of the impact deceleration profile of the system as it penetrates to the nucleus of the comet; and several thermocouples mounted along the length of the penetrator to measure temperature and temperature gradients. The mechanical, electrical and thermal interfaces between the penetrator and the Mariner Mark II spacecraft are described. A series of line drawings is provided which illustrates the proposed configuration of the system.

Swenson, B. L.↗

High energy nucleus-nucleus collisions

Experimental results on high energy nucleus-nucleus interactions are presented. The data are discussed within the framework of standard super-position models and from the point-of-view of the possible formation of new states of matter in heavy ion collisions.

Wosiek, B.↗

Meson multiplicity versus energy in relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions

A systematic study of meson multiplicity as a function of energy at energies up to 100 GeV/u in nucleus-nucleus collisions has been made, using cosmic-ray data in nuclear emulsion. The data are consistent with simple nucleon-nucleon superposition models. Multiplicity per interacting nucleon in AA collisions does not appear to differ significantly from pp collisions.

Atwater, T. W.↗

Results on ultra-relativistic nucleus-nucleus interactions from balloon-borne emulsion chambers

The results of balloon-borne emulsion-chamber measurements on high-energy cosmic-ray nuclei (Burnett et al., 1983) are summarized in tables and graphs and briefly characterized. Special consideration is given to seven nucleus-nucleus interaction events at energy in excess of 1 TeV/A with multiplicity greater than 400, and to Fe interactions (53 with CHO, 10 with emulsion, and 14 with Pb) at 20-60 GeV/A.

Burnett, T. H.↗

Statistical analysis of secondary particle distributions in relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions

The use is described of several statistical techniques to characterize structure in the angular distributions of secondary particles from nucleus-nucleus collisions in the energy range 24 to 61 GeV/nucleon. The objective of this work was to determine whether there are correlations between emitted particle intensity and angle that may be used to support the existence of the quark gluon plasma. The techniques include chi-square null hypothesis tests, the method of discrete Fourier transform analysis, and fluctuation analysis. We have also used the method of composite unit vectors to test for azimuthal asymmetry in a data set of 63 JACEE-3 events. Each method is presented in a manner that provides the reader with some practical detail regarding its application. Of those events with relatively high statistics, Fe approaches 0 at 55 GeV/nucleon was found to possess an azimuthal distribution with a highly non-random structure. No evidence of non-statistical fluctuations was found in the pseudo-rapidity distributions of the events studied. It is seen that the most effective application of these methods relies upon the availability of many events or single events that possess very high multiplicities.

Mcguire, Stephen C.↗

Average transverse momentum and energy density in high-energy nucleus-nucleus collisions

Emulsion chambers were used to measure the transverse momenta of photons or pi(0) mesons produced in high-energy cosmic-ray nucleus-nucleus collisions. A group of events having large average transverse momenta has been found which apparently exceeds the expected limiting values. Analysis of the events at early interaction times, of the order of 1 fm/c, indicates that the observed transverse momentum increases with both rapidity density and energy density.

Burnett, T. H.↗

Analysis of relativistic nucleus-nucleus interactions in emulsion chambers

The development of a computer-assisted method is reported for the determination of the angular distribution data for secondary particles produced in relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions in emulsions. The method is applied to emulsion detectors that were placed in a constant, uniform magnetic field and exposed to beams of 60 and 200 GeV/nucleon O-16 ions at the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) of the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). Linear regression analysis is used to determine the azimuthal and polar emission angles from measured track coordinate data. The software, written in BASIC, is designed to be machine independent, and adaptable to an automated system for acquiring the track coordinates. The fitting algorithm is deterministic, and takes into account the experimental uncertainty in the measured points. Further, a procedure for using the track data to estimate the linear momenta of the charged particles observed in the detectors is included.

Mcguire, Stephen C.↗