Inelasticity Distributions in High-Energyp-Nucleus Collisions

Abstract

Inelasticity distributions in high-energy p-nucleus collisions are computed in the framework of the interacting gluon model, with the impact-parameter fluctuation included. A proper account of the peripheral events by this fluctuation has shown to be vital for the overall agreement with several reported data. The energy dependence is found to be weak. [S0031-9007(97)02894-9] Inelasticity, i.e., the fraction of the incident energy E0 which is transformed into produced particles, is one of the basic quantities in high-energy hadronic and nuclear collisions. It is crucial in cosmic-ray data analysis where the primary mass composition, which is an important piece of information about the Universe, is deduced by using cascade models of the development of the mass composition with appropriate inelasticity distributions [1] and cross sections as the inputs. So, it is natural that since early times the study of the inelasticity has received special attention by both experimentalists and theoreticians. More recently, it has also aroused interest in connection with the production of a quark-gluon plasma