How Fast Does the Multiplicity of Particle Production in p--P Collisions Really Increase with Primary Energy

摘要

Multiplicity distributions of particles created in p-p collisions with E/sub lab/ = 50 to 200 GeV are shown to contain at least one Poisson component which becomes dominant at multiplicities k greater than or equal to 1.5 (k). The mean values of both this component and of the (relatively low multiplicity residue) increase like E/sub lab//sup 1/2/; the relative weight of the Poisson component decreases approximately like E/sub lab/ exp -0 exp 3 . If these trends continue beyond the available accelerator energies, one might expect the mean multiplicity to approach an E/sub lab//sup 1/2/ law beyond 10 TeV. 7 refs. (ERA citation 04:037682)