On mean free path statistics of relativistic heavy ions in nuclear emulsion

Abstract

We survey at the general level, and in a rather wide and historical context, some less known mathematical details of various mean free path statistics in nuclear emulsion as applied to relativistic projectile fragmentations. A number of comments are provided on Feller's paradox, ordered, censored, and truncated statistics, Erlang and Poisson observers of nuclear emulsion. All these issues are related to the statistical approaches used about a decade ago at Berkeley Bevalac for anomalons, some of which should be considered as standard methods for mean free paths' estimators of relativistic heavy ions.