Inclusive neutral-pion production in dC and dCu interactions at a momentum of 4.5 GeV/. per nucleon

Abstract

The cross sections for inclusive neutral-pion production in the reactions d + C → π 0 + x and d + Cu → π 0 + x at a momentum of 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon were measured over the kinematical region specified by the inequalities Θπ≤16° and E π≥2 GeV (in the laboratory frame). From the ratio of the cross sections for neutral-pion generation on carbon and copper nuclei, the exponent n in the parametrization Ed 3 σ/d 3 p ∼ A is obtained as a function of the cumulative number X in the range 0.6 ≤ X ≤ 1.8 and as a function of the square of the transverse momentum in the range 0.04 ≤ P t 2 ≤ 0.40 (GeV/c)2. The probabilities of the formation of six-quark configurations in the D, 4He, and 12C nuclei are estimated. The double-differential cross section for the reaction d + C → π 0 + x is determined for the first time by using a data sample containing more than 40 000 neutral pions.