Characteristics of Forward-Backward Shower Particle Production from the Interactions of 28Si With Emulsion Nuclei at High Energy

Abstract

This study investigates the characteristics of shower particles emitted in both forward and backward directions resulting from the interactions of ²⁸Si nuclei with nuclear emulsion at relativistic energies of 4.5 and 14.5 A GeV c⁻¹. The primary objective is to examine the mean multiplicities, multiplicity distributions, forward–backward correlations, and pseudorapidity distributions of these particles to gain deeper insight into the mechanisms of hadron production in high-energy nucleus–nucleus collisions. By comparing particle emissions in the forward region (θ < 90°) and backward region (θ > 90°), the study reveals clear differences in their dependence on projectile energy and mass. Forward particle multiplicities increase with both projectile mass and energy, while backward particle production remains largely independent of these factors, suggesting that backward emission is primarily influenced by the number of nucleons directly involved in the collision. In addition, pseudorapidity analysis demonstrates that forward distributions shift toward higher values with increasing energy, reflecting stronger longitudinal momentum transfer. These results contribute to understanding the dynamics of relativistic heavy-ion interactions, the role of participant–spectator matter, and the conditions that may lead to quark–gluon plasma formation