Nuclear Fragment Mass Yields from High-Energy Proton-Nucleus Interactions

Abstract

Isotopically resolved nuclear fragments (${A}_{f}, {Z}_{f}$), $3<~{Z}_{f}<~14$, produced by protons in the energy range $80<~{E}_{\mathrm{inc}}<~350$ GeV incident on krypton and xenon targets have been studied at the Internal Target Laboratory of the Fermi National Accelerator. A power-law dependence, isobaric yield $\ensuremath{\propto}{{A}_{f}}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\tau}}$, was found to describe the data over a broad range of yields. The particular value of $\ensuremath{\tau}$ is a signature for the fragment formation mechanism.