Intermittency and fragmentation of target residue in high-energy nuclear interactions

We analyze the angular distribution of target-associated slow particles in high-energy nuclear interactions, in terms of scaled factorial moments (SFMs). A power-law type behavior of SFMs, popularly known as ‘‘intermittency,’’ is a diagnostic indicator of possible dynamical phenomenon in multiparticle production and multifragmentation processes in high-energy physics. Our data of target associated slow particles reveal similar type of increase in SFMs with decreasing bin width of the angular distribution. The new observation thus contradicts the existing concept of evaporation model that the ‘‘statistical equilibrium’’ is reached before the emission of fragmented particles from residual target nuclei at high-energy nuclear interactions.