The production of massive hadron pairs has been studied in the reaction $p + N \to h\sb1 + h\sb2 + X$ using a proton beam at 800 GeV/c and four nuclear targets: beryllium, aluminum, iron, and tungsten. The data were taken at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory from November 1987-February 1988. / The detector was a double arm magnetic spectrometer, with a sampling calorimeter for real-time event selection. It was capable of operating at a high interaction rate ($\approx$2.5 $\times$ 10$\sp6$ interactions per second) and accepted +$-$, ++, and $--$ hadron pair charge states. / The mass dependence of the differential cross section for hadron pair production was determined over a mass range, 6.0 GeV/c$\sp2 \leq M \leq 15.0$ GeV/c$\sp2$, for the four targets and three charge states and was shown to agree well with QCD calculations. / The dependence of the cross section on the atomic weight of the target was shown to be accurately described by the form $\sigma(A) \propto A\sp\alpha$. The values of $\alpha$ were determined as a function of mass and charge state and were found to have an average value $\alpha$ = 1.043 $\pm$ 0.011(stat.) $\pm$ 0.025(syst.) when the transverse momentum of the pair, $P\sb{T}$, was $\leq$1.0 GeV/c and $\alpha$ = 1.049 $\pm$ 0.007(stat.) $\pm$ 0.025(syst.) for $P\sb{T} \leq 2.0$ GeV/c. No significant variation over the range of mass or charge state was observed. The values of $\alpha$ determined by this experiment agree well with previously published results of $\alpha$ for unlike-sign charged hadron pairs and are consistent with the parton multiple scattering model of atomic weight dependence. We have extended the knowledge of the atomic weight dependence of hadron pair production to measurements of $\alpha$ for different charge states, a higher mass region, and with better statistical accuracy. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-03, Section: B, page: 1000. / Major Professor: David A. Levinthal. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77991 |
| Contributors | Streets, Kathleen Ruth Turner., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 168 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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