A. Oskarsson

The mid-rapidity calorimeter for the relativistic heavy-ion experiment WA80 at CERN

Abstract A sampling calorimeter designed for use at mid-rapidity in the relativistic heavy-ion experiment WA80 at CERN is described. Calibration and performance results are presented. Over the energy range of 2 to 50 GeV, the response of the mid-rapidity calorimeter was linear, and its energy resolution σ E was found to be given by 0.014 + 0.11 √E and 0.034+0.34 √E for electromagnetic and hadronic showers, respectively. Signal ratios of 1.2 and 1.4 were obtained for the e h ratio of the lead-scintillator electromagnetic section and the iron-scintillator hadronic section, respectively. The calorimeter provided an accurate transverse energy trigger. The response and resolution for high-energy heavy ions were slightly better than anticipated on the basis of the low-energy calibrations.

MULTIPLICITY AND PSEUDORAPIDITY DISTRIBUTIONS OF CHARGED-PARTICLES FROM S-32 INDUCED HEAVY-ION INTERACTIONS AT 200-A GEV

Multiplicity and pseudorapidity distributions have been measured for32S+Al, Cu, Ag and Au at 200A GeV. The widths of the pseudorapidity distributions increase from central to peripheral collisions. The main contribution is assumed to come from the increasing fraction of charged particles stemming from the fragmentation of the target for peripheral collisions as compared to central collisions. On the average 170–180 charged particles per unit of pseudorapidity are attained for the most central32S+Au events at the maximum of the distribution. The target dependence of the yield of charged particles for central collisions is investigated. In the target rapidity region the yield is directly proportional to the target mass. The transverse energy per charged particle has been studied as a function of centrality and pseudorapidity. The experimental results are compared to the results from the Monte-Carlo model VENUS 3.11 which includes rescattering among secondaries. A comparison between different centrality triggers is made.

Upper limit for thermal direct photon production in heavy-ion collisions at 60 and 200A·GeV

The production of direct photons has been investigated in reactions ofp and16O projectiles at 60 and 200A·GeV with C and Au nuclei. Photon and π0 spectra have been measured in the pseudorapidity range 1.5≦η≦2.1 for the transverse momentum region 0.4 GeV/c≦pT≦2.8 GeV/c employing the lead-glass spectrometer SAPHIR. An upper limit of 15% at the 90% confidence level for the direct photon signal relative to the neutral pion production is obtained from the comparison of measured photon spectra with Monte Carlo simulations of the hadronic background based on the reconstructed yield of π0 and η mesons. Consequences for a possible phase transition to a quark-gluon plasma are discussed.

PRODUCTION OF SLOW SINGLY CHARGED FRAGMENTS IN 200 GEV/C HADRON NUCLEUS INTERACTIONS

Measurements of slow, singly charged fragments in the target rapidity region have been performed for proton and pion induced reactions with various nuclei at 200 GeV/c. Multiplicity, angular and energy distributions are examined and used to study the effects of rescattering in the nuclear medium. Data are compared to a “geometric cascade model” and to simulations with the VENUS 3.11 and the FRITIOF 1.7 Monte Carlo codes.

Fluctuations and intermittency in 200 A GeV 16O+(C, Au) reactions

Abstract Fluctuations in the pseudo-rapidity density of charged particles in 16 O+(C, Au) reactions at 200 A GeV were analyzed with the method of scaled factorial moments. The extracted moments are proportional to a power of the pseudo-rapidity bin size, which is consistent with intermittent behaviour. The dependence on target and on impact parameter are studied. The fluctuations are stronger for systems with fewer participating nucleons.

Azimuthal anisotropy in S + Au reactions at 200 A GeV

Abstract Azimuthal correlations of photons produced at mid-rapidity in 200 A GeV S + Au collisions have been studied using a preshower photon multiplicity detector in the WA93 experiment. The Fourier expansion method has been employd to estimate the event plane via the anisotropy of the event as a function of centrality. The event plane correlation technique has been used to determine the true event anisotropy, beyond the anisotropy which arises due to finite multiplicity. The VENUS event generator with rescattering and proper simulation of the detector response can explain only a portion of the observed anisotropy. The residual anisotropy is found to be of the order of 5% for semi-central collisions. This suggests that directed collective flow of the produced particles is present at SPS energies.

PION ABSORPTION IN EXCITED NUCLEAR-MATTER

The target dependence and azimuthal correlations of protons and pions are investigated for pA reactions at 4.9, 60 and 200 GeV. The experimental observations can be understood qualitatively under the assumption that pions are absorbed in excited target spectator matter.

Transverse energy production in the target fragmentation region in16O-nucleus reactions at 60 and 200A GeV

Charged pion yields and transverse energies of baryons are measured for the reaction16O+Cu, Ag, Au at 60 and 200A GeV bombarding energy in the target fragmentation region employing the Plastic Ball detector. Only little dependence of the measured quantities on the bombarding energy is found. The data are compared with the multi-chain fragmentation model of Ranft. As a result it turns out that a leading order formation zone cascade is not sufficient to explain the baryon yield and the transverse energies of baryons in the target fragmentation region.

Transverse momentum distributions of neutral pions from central and peripheral16O+Au collisions at 200A·GeV

The production of neutral pions by the interaction of 200A·GeV p and16O projectiles with a Au target has been studied in the pseudorapidity range 1.5≦η≦2.1. Transverse momentum spectra have been measured between 0.4 GeV/c and 3.6 GeV/c and their dependence on the centrality of the collision has been investigated. The peripheral-collision spectra display a marked change of slope with a hard component starting at about 1.8 GeV/c, in contrast to central-collision data. The data are discussed in comparison to p+p and α+α data from the ISR.

CHICSi - a 3pi Multi-detector System for Studying Heavy Ion Interactions Inside a Storage Ring

Abstract CHICSi — a 3π multi-detector system is presented. The setup consists of 576 ultra high vacuum compatible telescopes to study intermediate energy heavy ion as well as proton induced collisions at storage rings operating in slow ramping mode. Primary it will be installed at the gas-jet target station of the CELSIUS facility at The Svedberg Laboratory in Uppsala.