Associative multiplicity in π-A interactions with strange-particle production

The A dependence of various types of particles in interactions of π- mesons of momentum 40 GeV/c with nuclei is studied. It is shown that the associative multiplicity of π- mesons created with a K bar K pair depends weakly on the nucleus, while in processes involving Λ hyperons it grown linearly with <ν>. The number of knocked out nucleons in events with Λ hyperons grows considerably more rapidly than in processes with K bar K-pair production. The authors confirm the conclusion of Gabuniya et al., (Sov. J. Nucl. Phys. 50, 646 (1989)) that K bar K-pairs are produced in the nucleus mainly in single collisions, i.e., as on a free nucleon, while Λ hyperons are created in any configuration, i.e., in events similar to fully inclusive processes on nuclei