The experimental setup and detection technique of the COSY-11 installation, an internal experimental facility at the cooler synchrotron and storage ring COSY Jülich, are described. The detection system has been designed for meson production studies with full geometrical acceptance close to threshold. Preliminary results of first measurements are presented, emphasis is put on strangeness production in the reactions pp → ppK + K − and pp → pK + Λ .
Threshold measurements of the associated strangeness production reactions pp --> p K(+) Lambda and pp --> p K(+) Sigma(0) are presented. Although slight differences in the shapes of the excitation functions are observed, the most remarkable feature of the data is that at the same excess energy the total cross section for the Sigma(0) production appears to be about a factor of 28 smaller than the one for the Lambda particle. It is concluded that strong Sigma(0)-p final state interactions, and in particular the Sigma-N --> Lambda-p conversion reaction, are the likely cause of the depletion for the yield in the Sigma signal. This hypothesis is in line with other experimental evidence in the literature.
The reaction pp → K + Λp was measured exclusively at the cooler synchrotron COSY at beam momenta of p Beam = 2.50 GeV/c and p Beam = 2.75 GeV/c using the TOF detector. Angular and momentum distributions were obtained for the full phase space of the reaction products. Total cross sections were extracted to be (2.7 ± 0.3) μ b and (12.0 ± 0.4) μ b, respectively. The polarization of the Λ -hyperon was determined as a function of its transversal momentum and was found to be negative for transverse momentum transfers of p T ≥ 0.3 GeV/c. The results together with existing data are compared with phenomenological parametrizations and model calculations on the basis of meson exchange.
The total cross section of the reaction pp->ppK+K- has been measured at excess energies Q=10 MeV and 28 MeV with the magnetic spectrometer COSY-11. The new data show a significant enhancement of the total cross section compared to pure phase space expectations or calculations within a one boson exchange model. In addition, we present invariant mass spectra of two particle subsystems. While the K+K- system is rather constant for different invariant masses, there is an enhancement in the pK- system towards lower masses which could at least be partially connected to the influence of the Lambda(1405) resonance.
Sigma+ hyperon production was measured at the COSY-11 spectrometer via the p p --> n K+ Sigma+ reaction at excess energies of Q = 13 MeV and Q = 60 MeV. These measurements continue systematic hyperon production studies via the p p --> p K+ Lambda/Sigma0 reactions where a strong decrease of the cross section ratio close-to-threshold was observed. In order to verify models developed for the description of the Lambda and Sigma0 production we have performed the measurement on the Sigma+ hyperon and found unexpectedly that the total cross section is by more than one order of magnitude larger than predicted by all anticipated models. After the reconstruction of the kaon and neutron four momenta, the Sigma+ is identified via the missing mass technique. Details of the method and the measurement will be given and discussed in view of theoretical models.
Associated strangeness production in the reactions γp → K + Λ and γp → K + Σ 0 was measured with the SAPHIR detector at the electron stretcher ring ELSA at Bonn. Data on total and differential cross sections and on hyperon polarizations are presented. The total cross section for Λ production shows a strong threshold enhancement whereas the Σ 0 data have a maximum at about E γ =1.45 GeV. Along with the angular decomposition of the differential cross section into polynomials, this suggests resonance production. However, the angular distributions of both hyperon polarizations vary only slightly with the photon energy. Λ and Σ 0 polarizations show opposite signs and change sign over the angular range.
A systematic search for exotic states produced in K − d interactions at 3 GeV/ c is reported. From the analysis of the mass spectra of strange mesons, non-strange mesons, hyperons with S = −1 and S = −2, upper limits for the production cross sections of exotic resonances may be placed at one or two orders of magnitude smaller than for the production of normal resonances of same strangeness and baryon number.
The PS185 experiment at LEAR/CERN has investigated strangeness production in antiproton-proton collisions with final states such as $\overline{\Lambda} \Lambda$, $\overline{\Sigma}^0 \Lambda + c.c$, $\overline{\Sigma^+} \Sigma^+$, $\overline{\Sigma^-} \Sigma^-$ and $K_S K_S$. Results are presented from a study of about 32,000 {$K_S K_S X$} events obtained at several antiproton momenta in the regions of 1.45 and 1.7 GeV/c. The $\overline{p} p \to K_S K_S \eta$ cross sections extracted at these momenta constitute the first measurement of this reaction in flight and are broadly consistent with expectations of a phase-space extrapolation of branching ratios from annihilation at rest.
Evidence is presented for production of Ξ* resonances, decaying into Ξπ, Ξ(1530)π, ΛK¯, and ΣK¯, in K−p interactions at 2.87 Gev/c. The data represent final combined results from a 30-events/μb hydrogen exposure and an 18-events/μb exposure in deuterium designed to study Ξ* production in the mass interval 1.46-2.07 GeV/c2. In addition to Ξ(1820) and Ξ(1940), signals have been observed at masses of 1630 MeV/c2 and 1860 MeV/c2 decaying into Ξ−π+ and YK¯, respectively. Reaction cross sections have been measured for all final states containing two visible signs of strangeness, and for the final states ΛK−K+ and Σ0K−K+.
Hyperon production in the threshold region was studied in the reaction pp→K+Λp using the time-of-flight spectrometer COSY-TOF. Exclusive data, covering the full phase-space, were taken at three different beam momenta pbeam=2.59 , 2.68 and 2.85 GeV/ c (corresponding to excess energies of ɛ=85 , 115 and 171 MeV). Total cross-sections were deduced to be 7.4±0.5 μb , 8.6±0.6 μb and 16.5±0.4 μb , respectively. Differential observables including Dalitz plots were obtained. From the investigation of the Dalitz plot at pbeam=2.85 GeV/c a dominant contribution of the N∗(1650) -resonance to the reaction mechanism was found. In addition the pΛ -final-state interaction turned out to have a significant influence on the Dalitz plot distribution even 171 MeV above threshold.
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