Correlations of mesons in nucleus-nucleus interactions with a small impact parameter

Interactions between iron-group nuclei of cosmic rays at energies of 3-12 GeV/nucleon and nuclei of an Ag, Br photoemulsion were observed. Attention was given to conditions under which the number of inelastically interacting nucleons of both nuclei was not greater than 100 and the density of produced particles according to pseudorapidity was about 40. Under these conditions, multiparticle subsystems were found to arise with a number of particles not less than about 4 and azimuthal extent up to 40 deg. These subsystems are the source of four-, three-, and two-particle correlations.