Electromagnetic dissociation of Au targets by Au beams in E862

Abstract

E862 is an experiment to measure Electromagnetic Dissociation (ED) of Au and Co targets by 9.89 GeV/nucleon beams from the AGS. ED occurs at impact parameters large enough so that no strong interaction occurs, but virtual photons are exchanged, resulting in the excitation of a giant resonance. The authors report the first observation of an ED cross section {sigma}{sub ED} larger than the total hadronic cross section for Au+Au of 6.1 barns. Results are given for both the single- and double-neutron removal processes and compared to calculations using both semiclassical and quantum methods, including effects from both E1 and E2 giant resonances. Predictions are extended to RHIC and LHC collider energies where ED will be a significant determinant of the quality of the stored beams.