Two-pion correlations in heavy ion collisions

Journal Article · Fri Jun 01 04:00:00 UTC 1984 · Phys. Rev. C; (United States)

OSTI ID:6395895

Zaje, W A; Bistirlich, J A; Bossingham, R R; Bowman, H R; Clawson, C W; Crowe, K M; Frankel, K A; Ingersoll, J G; Kurck, J M; Martoff, C J

An application of intensity interferometry to relativistic heavy ion collisions is reported. The correlation between two like-charged pions is used to study the reactions Ar+KC1..-->..2..pi../sup + -/+X and Ne+NaF..-->..2..pi../sup -/+X, both at an incident beam energy of 1.8A GeV. Source sizes and lifetimes are measured and compared to the predictions of simple geometric models and of Monte Carlo cascade calculations. There appears to be a substantial coherent component of the pion source, although measurement is complicated by the presence of final state interactions. A detailed discussion of the techniques of intensity interferometry is also presented. The generation of uncorrelated background events is discussed, along with the influence of the correlation on the background and the prescription for its removal. The statistical errors in the background spectrum are examined and found to have nontrivial implications for the analysis. The effect of the mutual Coulomb repulsion of the two pions, and of the pion-nuclear Coulomb interaction, on the two-pion correlation function is analyzed. The impact parameter bias resulting from a two-pion trigger is calculated and found to be substantial. Finally, a simple model for the interpretation of Gaussian source parameters is presented and compared to the predictions of Monte Carlo cascade calculations.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 6395895
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. C; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. C; (United States) Vol. 29:6; ISSN PRVCA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALI METALS
ARGON 40 REACTIONS
BOSONS
CHARGED-PARTICLE REACTIONS
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COMPOUND-NUCLEUS REACTIONS
CORRELATION FUNCTIONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY RANGE
FIELD THEORIES
FUNCTIONS
GENERAL RELATIVITY THEORY
GEV RANGE
GEV RANGE 01-10
HADRONS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HALOGENS
HEAVY ION REACTIONS
INTERACTIONS
INTERFEROMETRY
MESONS
METALS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
PAIR PRODUCTION
PIONS
POTASSIUM
POTASSIUM CHLORIDES
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
PSEUDOSCALAR MESONS
RELATIVITY THEORY