A study of fragmentation of relativistic carbon nucleus inelastically interacting with propane and tantalum nuclei

The new experimental data on relative yields, momentum and correlation characteristics of the various spectator fragments from carbon nucleus inelastically interacting with the propane (C3H8) and tantalum nuclei at the primary momentum of 4,2A GeV/c are presented and discussed. The dependences of cross sections and transverse momentum distributions of spectator protons, deuterons and tritons on the mass number of target and impact parameter of nucleus-nucleus collision have been investigated. It is shown that some of these dependences are vanished or weakened when passing to the centre-of mass system of fragmentating residual nuclei. It means that they are conditioned by the nuclear decay 'in flight'. (author). 14 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs