On Observed and Predicted Multiplicities in Very High Energy Interactions.

Recent hydrogen bubble chamber and hydrogen target multiplicity data are compared with the bulk of existing data over the entire experimental energy range, from 10 to 108 GeV. The data are compared with multiplicity predictions, derived from different interaction models. Included in the analysis are also results obtained from recent large-scale air shower simulations, in conjunction with experimental air shower data. Multiplicity tendencies of very-high-energy nucleon-nucleus interactions, as observed in emulsion and derived from air shower simulations, are discussed in view of the recent HBC and hydrogen target data.