Charged-particle multiplicity distributions in different rapidity windows in 800 GeV proton-nucleus interactions

Multiplicity distributions of charged particles produced in interactions of 800 GeV protons with emulsion nuclei in various rapidity windows are presented. The data is also analyzed separately for the forward and the backward hemispheres, for rapidity windows of different widths. It is found that the Negative Binomial Distribution (NBD) describes well the multiplicity distribution of secondary particles in various rapidity windows and also in both the hemispheres. We have compared the NBD parameters, in both the hemispheres, at 200 GeV and 360 GeV, with those at 800 GeV. The behaviour of NBD parameters in rapidity windows of different widths and for different targets has also been studied. (orig.)