On the factorial moment analysis of high energy experimental data with noninteger partition number

It is pointed out that in doing the factorial moment analysis with noninteg er partition M of phase-space, the influence of the phase-space variation o f two (or more) particle correlations has to be considered carefully. In th is paper this problem is studied and a systematic method is developed to mi nimize this influence. The efficiency and self-consistency of this method a re shown using the data of 250 GeV/c pi(+)p and K(+)p collisions from the N A22 experiment as example.