Further Studies of BURSTS and Spallation in High-Energy Heavy Ion Reactions

Abstract

Aspects of BURSTS and Spallation reactions induced by high-energy heavy ions in thick targets (>10 cm thick) will be investigated: BURSTS are reviewed from a historical and phenomenological point-of-view. Details of interactions in nuclear emulsions will be compared for irradiations of 72 GeV 22Ne-ions from Dubna with irradiations of 72 GeV 40Ar-ions from Berkeley. Measured correlations in individual interactions between multiplicities of “minimum ionizing particles”, ns, and “black prongs”, nb, will be shown as “ns-vs.-nb” per event for BURSTS and separately for Spallation in interactions of 72 GeV 22Ne-ions. Monte Carlo calculations, based on the MCNPX 2.7 code, have been carried out for 72 GeV 22Ne interacting in nuclear emulsions: The correlation between ns and nb in Spallation reactions could be understood. However, “ns-vs.-nb” correlations from BURST-interactions could not be reproduced with this model for events with small numbers of heavy prongs nh ≤ 10. For large numbers of heavy prongs with nh > 10 one could find some agreement between experiments and calculations, however, not in all details. Further experimental and theoretical studies are necessary before one has a complete understanding of BURST interactions in high-energy heavy ion reactions.