Nonstatistical fluctuations in fragmentation of target nuclei in high energy nuclear interactions

Abstract

Analysis of target fragmented 'black' particles in nuclear emulsion from high energy relativistic interactions initiated by 16O at 2.1 GeV/nucleon and 12C and 24Mg at 4.5 GeV/nucleon reveal the existence of nonstatistical fluctuations in the azimuthal plane of interaction. The asymmetry or the non-statistical fluctuations, while found to be independent of projectile mass or incident energy, are dependent on the excitation energy of the target nucleus.