A suite of simulation tools was designed and developed to simulate two particle correlations in heavy ion collisions. This included additions to the HIJING Monte Carlo simulation and the creation of a new fast Monte Carlo simulation program, QMC. These Monte Carlos were then used to demonstrate the effect of an isolation cut on the the mean seed mean partner (MSMP) background normalization method.

Measurements at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) have provided indirect measurements of jets in a heavy ion environment using the two- particle correlation method in the presence of a high-pT particle. These measurements have offered insight into the formation of a new state of dense nuclear matter called the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) through the observation of jet quenching. However, the two-particle methodology has also shown to be biased towards di-jet production near the surface of the medium being created. Here, a detailed study using the PHENIX detector is provided, in an attempt to measure a more accurate jet-induced two-particle correlation measurement than previously published and to reduce the bias observed in two-particle correlation measurements. The reduction in surface bias emission is performed via the requirement of two antipodal high-pT particles (a.k.a. "2+1" correlation) in an attempt to control the production point of the di-jet. The measurements made in Au+Au collisions when compared to p+p collisions show that the method provides additional sensitivity to the jet quenching previously observed in two-particle correlation method.

Results on the centrality dependence of two-particle correlations in Au+Au collisions at ... 200GeV are presented. A particular focus is devoted to investigating any anomalous behavior in the centrality dependence of correlation functions, as previous results suggest existence of such tendencies around Npart [approx.] 50. Correlation functions are calculated for a wide kinematic region of ... from data obtained by the PHOBOS experiment at RHIC. The RHIC layout and the PHOBOS detector setup is discussed. Data acquisition method employed by the PHOBOS experiment, data processing procedures and event selection criteria are presented. The two-particle correlation function is defined and calculation procedures are described. Decomposition analysis is explained as the fit function and the constituting components are introduced. Analysis results for correlation functions and fits are presented. The results suggest that in the kinematic region covered by the analysis of this thesis, no anomalous trends in component behavior exists.

For over a decade studies of the strong interaction in extremely dense nuclear environments have been done at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. It is hypothesized that colliding two beams of Au nuclei at relativistic speeds creates an environment of hot dense nuclear matter where the quarks and gluons inside the nucleus, which are normally confined within the protons and neutrons, become deconfined into a soup called the quark-gluon plasma. Since direct observation of this short-lived phase is impossible, many sophisticated analysis techniques attempt to study the early interactions via the final state particles. What has emerged from analyses of the data are two, contradictory paradigms for understanding the results. On the one hand the colliding quarks and gluons are thought to strongly interact and reach thermal equilibrium. The other view is that primary parton-parton scattering leads directly to jet fragmentation with little effect from re-scattering. It is in principle possible to distinguish and perhaps falsify one or both of these models of relativistic heavy ion collisions via the analysis of two-particle correlations among all charged particles produced in [mathematical symbols] = 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at the STAR experiment at RHIC. This dissertation presents studies of two-particle correlations, whose derivation can be traced back to Pearson's correlation coefficient, in transverse momentum and angular space. In momentum space a broad peak is observed extending from 0.5-4.0 GeV/c which, as a function of nuclear overlap, remains at a fixed position while monotonically increasing in amplitude. Comparisons to theoretical models suggests this peak is from jet fragmentation. In a complementary study the momentum distribution of correlations in ([eta],[phi]) space is investigated. The momentum distribution of correlated pairs that contribute to the peak near the origin, commonly associated with jet fragmentation, is peaked around 1.5 GeV/c and does not soften with increased centrality. These measurements present important aspects of the available six dimensional correlation space and provide definitive tests for theoretical models. Preliminary findings do not appear to support the hypothesis of a strongly interacting QGP where back-to-back jets are expected to be significantly suppressed.

An application of intensity interferometry to relativistic heavy ion collisions is reported. Specifically, the correlation between two like-charged pions is used to study the reactions Ar+KCl.-->.2.pi./sup +-/+X and Ne+NaF.-->.2.pi.−+X. Source sizes are obtained that are consistent with a simple geometric interpretation. Lifetimes are less well determined but are indicative of a faster pion production process than predicted by Monte Carlo cascade calculations. There appears to be a substantial coherent component of the pion source, although measurement is complicated by the presence of final state interactions. Additionally, the generation of spectra of uncorrelated events is discussed. In particular, the influence of the correlation function on the background spectrum is analyzed, and a prescription for removal of this influence is given. A formulation to describe the statistical errors in the background is also presented. Finally, drawing from the available literature, a self-contained introduction to Bose-Einstein correlations and the Hanbury-Brown - Twiss effect is provided, with an emphasis on points of contact between classical and quantum mechanical descriptions.

A generalized optical model heavy ion reaction theory is extended to include correlation effects between projectile and target constituents according to the Pauli exclusion principle. These correlation effects are significant for accurately predicting cross sections for projectile nucleus abrasions, but are relatively unimportant for determining total and absorption cross sections for heavy ion collisions. For lighter nuclei, predictive capabilities were also improved by developing an analytic method for extracting their nuclear single particle density distributions from experimentally measured harmonic well charge density distributions. This improved theory is compared with previous theoretical predictions and recent experimental results. Townsend, L. W. Langley Research Center NASA-TP-2003, L-15105, NAS 1.60:2003 RTOP 199-20-76-01...

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This book covers various experimental and theoretical aspects of multiparticle production in high energy interactions from lepton-lepton, lepton-hadron, hadron-hadron, hadron-nucleus and heavy ion collisons. This is the first time that data from CERN LEP, FNAL, DESY, BNL AGS, CERN SPS and BNL RHIC have been collected in a single volume. Not only accelerator-induced reactions but also cosmic ray interactions of very high energy are discussed, and the up-to-date theoretical interpretations are summarized.