An Inconsistency in the Simulation of Bose-Einstein Correlations

Abstract

We show that the formalism commonly used to implement Bose-Einstein correlations in Monte-Carlo simulations can lead to values of the two-particle correlator significantly smaller than unity, in the case of sources with strong position-momentum correlations. This is more pronounced when the phase space of the emitted particles is strongly reduced by experimental acceptance or kinematic analysis selections. It is inconsistent with general principles according to which the Bose-Einstein correlator is larger than unity. This inconsistency seems to be rooted in the fact that quantum mechanical localization properties are not taken into account properly.