Study of Azimuthal Correlations in the Target Fragmentation Region in p, d, He, C+C, Ta and C+Ne, Cu Collisions at a Momentum of 4.2, 4.5 and 10 AGeV/c

TL;DR

This study investigates azimuthal correlations of protons and pions in various nuclear collisions at different energies, revealing target mass dependence and comparing results with theoretical models.

Contribution

It provides new experimental data on azimuthal correlations in target fragmentation regions across multiple collision systems and energies, and compares these with UrQMD and QGSM models.

Findings

Protons show back-to-back correlations that depend on target mass.

Pions exhibit back-to-back correlations for light targets and side-by-side for heavy targets.

Models adequately describe the experimental azimuthal correlation patterns.

Abstract

Azimuthal correlations between the same type of particles (protons or pions) in the target fragmentation region was studied in d, He, C + C, Ta (4.2 AGeV/c), C + Ne, Cu (4.5AGeV/c) and p + C, Ta (10 GeV/c) interactions. The data were obtained from the SKM-200-GIBS streamer chamber and from Propane Bubble Chamber (PBL-500) systems utilized at JINR. Study of multiparticle azimuthal correlations offers unique information about space-time evolution of the interactions. Azimuthal correlations were investigated by using correlation function C($\Delta\phi$)=dN/d($\Delta\phi$), where $\Delta\phi$ represents the angle between the sums of transverse momenta vectors for particles emitted in the forward and backward hemispheres. For protons a "back-to back" ("negative") azimuthal correlations were observed in the above mentioned interactions. The absolute values of the correlation coefficient $|\xi|$ -- the slope parameter of C($\Delta\phi$), strongly depend on the mass number of the target ($A_T$) nuclei in the nucleon-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions. Namely, $|\xi|$ -- decreases with increase of $A_T$ in p+C and p+Ta collisions, while $|\xi|$ decreases from d+C up to C+Ne and then almost does not change with increase of $A_P$, $A_T$ in (d+He)Ta, C+Cu and C+Ta collisions. For pions a "back-to-back" correlations were obtained for a light targets (C, Ne), and a "side-by-side" ("positive") correlations for a heavy targets (Cu, Ta). The $|\xi|$ insignificantly changes with increase of the momenta per nucleon and almost does not change with increase of $A_P$ and $A_T$. Models, used for description of the data -- the Ultra relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamic (UrQMD) and Quark-Gluon String Model (QGSM), satisfactorily describe the obtained experimental results.