A study of Bose-Einstein correlations in semi-inclusive and inclusive K+p reactions at 32 GeV/c

The Bose-Einstein interference effect between pions of equal charge has been studied in K+p reactions at 32 GeV/c. These correlations were analysed in the framework of the Kopylov-Podgoretski-Cocconi model. The values obtained for the Kopylov parameters lie in the range of 0.8 to 1.0 fm forR, a measure of the dimensions of the pion source, and 1 to 2·10−24 s for τ, a parameter characteristic for the time evolution of particle production. The data also indicate that only a fraction λ, between 30 and 60%, of the pions interferes. The parametersR and τ show no variation with charged multiplicity, whereas λ decreases when the number of charged particles increases.