We report measurements of proton emission at target rapidities for minimum bias and central collisions of 14.6AGeV/c {sup 28}Si with Al, Cu, and Au nuclei as well as minimum bias and central collisions of 11.7AGeV/c {sup 197}Au with Au nuclei. Results for deuteron emission are also reported for the Si+Au reaction. The spectra span the laboratory angular range of 50{degree}{le}{theta}{le}130{degree} and kinetic energy range of 40MeV{le}E{sub kin}{le}225MeV. Inverse slopes of proton spectra and proton dN/d{eta} values in the kinetic energy range 50MeV{le}E{sub kin}{le}110MeV are reported. The inverse slopes are 40{endash}80 MeV for the various systems, generally increasing with increasing pseudorapidity. The dN/d{eta} values for A+A collisions within the restricted kinetic energy interval are compared to those for protons from p+Au in the literature. All pseudorapidity distributions have very similar shapes. The experimental results have been compared to the predictions of the nucleon-nucleon collision models ARC and RQMD. The predictions made by these two models for the distribution of protons at target rapidities are very similar to each other. However, there are significant differences between the model predictions and the experimental results in the details of the spectral slopes and the proton yields for different trigger conditions. {copyright} {ital 1997} {italmore » The American Physical Society}« less

Production of the phi meson in central Si + Au collisions has been measured by E859 at the Brookhaven Alternating Gradient Synchrotron by selecting events with identified K+K- pairs. The mass and width of the phi, obtained from the invariant mass distribution of kaon pairs, are consistent with those of free phi mesons. The transverse mass and rapidity distributions are presented. The inverse slope parameter for an exponential fit to the invariant transverse mass distribution is 179 +/- 10 +/- 17 MeV.

Semi-inclusive spectra of ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$, ${K}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$, and p have been measured near midrapidity for central collisions of 14.6A-GeV/c $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ with $^{197}\mathrm{Au}$ nuclei. The invariant cross sections are all well fit by exponential distributions in transverse mass, within the measured ranges. The \ensuremath{\pi} and K cross sections can also be fit by Boltzmann distributions. From integrated yields, at midrapidity, the kaon/pion yield ratios are (19.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3)% for ${K}^{+}$/${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}$ and (3.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.8)% for ${K}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$/${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$; the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}$/${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ ratio is 1.00\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04.