Forward and backward multiplicities in high-energy proton-nucleus and proton-nucleon collisions

Multiplicities of charged particles produced in the forward and backward hemispheres are investigated for proton-nucleus and proton-nucleon collisions in the range from 20 to 400 GeV/c. Weak, but growing with incident beam momentum, forward-backward multiplicity correlations are observed which cannot be reduced to the inelastic diffraction. These correlations are more pronounced in proton-nucleus than proton-nucleon interactions.