Study of backward, forward shower and grey particles production from the interactions of O-16 with emulsion nuclei at 4.5 A GeV/c

This paper presents the results of the study of interaction of the relativistic O-16 nucleus with the momentum 4.5 A GeV/c with the photo emulsion. The average multiplicities of the different emitted hadrons (shower and grey) in the forward (FHS) and backward (BHS) hemisphere, compared with other data from the interaction of P-1, He-4, Li-6, C-12, Ne-22 and Si-28 at nearly the same momentum, have been studied as a function of projectile mass number, the number of interacting projectile nucleons, impact parameter and number of shower particles emitted in the backward hemisphere. The multiplicity distribution of the shower particles emitted in the forward and backward hemisphere directions using the KNO representation are represented and described by an exponential form for BHS shower particles. Another objective of this paper is to examine whether the mechanism of particle production in the BHS is significantly different from the operating in the production of particles in the FHS which can help to solve some questions connected with the role of collective phenomena in the backward emission of particles from the nuclear targets. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.