Charged particle multiplicity distributions and rescattering effects in pd interactions at 19 GeV/c

Inelastic topological pd cross sections at 19 GeV/c have been determined from an exposure of the CERN 2m bubble chamber. The total cross section for three or more prongs was measured to be 42.4 +- 0.3 mb. The pn charged multiplicity distribution was determined from the data by taking into account rescattering, which was found to constitute 18.5 +- 1.5 % of the above cross section. The average pn charge multiplicity, < nsub(c) >, and the average over the dispersion, < nsub(c) >/D, were found to be 3.53 +- 0.12 and 1.88 +- 0.06 respectively. This latter value indicate by comparison with results at higher energies that the pn multiplicity distribution fullfills KNO scaling earlier than the corresponding pp distribution. It is found that available pn data in the energy range 12-300 GeV fit the modified KNO scaling function of Buras et al if a value of α of 0.39 is used. (author)