Measurements of fluctuations in H.E. scattering using mid-rapidity Et and multiplicity distributions in nucleus and nucleon collisions

Measurements by the E802 Collaboration of the A-dependence and pseudorapidity interval (δη) dependence of ET distributions in a half-azimuth electromagnetic calorimeter are presented for p+Be, p+Au, O+Cu, Si+Au and Au+Au collisions at the BNL-AGS. The issues addressed are whether the shapes of the upper edges of the ET distributions vary similarly to the the variation in shape with δη of mid-rapidity charged particle multiplicity distributions and how small a δη interval would still give a meaningful characterization of the 'nuclear geometry' of a reaction. (author)