Inclusive charged-particle production in neutron-nucleus collisions

Abstract

We have measured charged-particle production in neutron-nucleus collisions at high energy. Data on positive and negative particles produced in nuclei [ranging in atomic number ($A$) from beryllium to lead] are presented for essentially the full forward hemisphere of the center-of-mass system. A rough pion-proton separation is achieved for the positive spectra. Fits of the form ${A}^{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ to the cross sections are presented as functions of transverse momentum, longitudinal momentum, rapidity, and pseudorapidity. It is found that $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ changes from \ensuremath{\sim}0.85 to \ensuremath{\sim}0.60 for laboratory rapidities ranging from 4 to 8. Trends in the data differ markedly when examined in terms of pseudorapidity rather than rapidity. Qualitatively, the major features of our data can be understood in terms of current particle-production models.