Projectile Dependence of Multiparticle Production in Hadron-Nucleus Interactions at 100 GeV/c

Abstract

Average multiplicities and pseudorapidity distributions for 100-GeV/c $p$-, $K^{+}$-, and ${\pi }^{+}$-nucleus collisions are presented. The average multiplicities increase with nuclear thickness. The fractional increase is independent of incident particle species, provided that nuclear thicknesses are calculated in units of mean free path of the incident hadron. This scaling behavior suggests that the immediate product of a hadron-nucleon collision is a state similar to the incident hadron.