The $p_{\rm T}$-differential inclusive production cross section of the prompt charm-strange meson $\rm D_s^+$ in the rapidity range $|y|<0.5$ was measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV at the LHC using the ALICE detector. The analysis was performed on a data sample of $2.98 \times 10^8$ events collected with a minimum-bias trigger. The corresponding integrated luminosity is $L_{\rm int}=4.8$/nb. Reconstructing the decay ${\rm D_s^{+}\to \phi\pi^+}$, with $\phi\to {\rm K}^-{\rm K}^+$, and its charge conjugate, about 480 ${\rm D_s^{\pm}}$ mesons were counted, after selection cuts, in the transverse momentum range $2<p_{\rm T}<12$ Gev/$c$. The results are compared with predictions from models based on perturbative QCD. The ratios of the cross sections of four D meson species (namely ${\rm D^0}$, ${\rm D^+}$, ${\rm D^{*+}}$ and ${\rm D_s^+}$) were determined both as a function of $p_{\rm T}$ and integrated over $p_{\rm T}$ after extrapolating to full $p_{\rm T}$ range, together with the strangeness suppression factor in charm fragmentation. The obtained values are found to be compatible within uncertainties with those measured by other experiments in $\rm e^+e^-$, ep and pp interactions at various centre-of-mass energies.
pT-integrated ratios of D meson production cross sections and the strangeness suppression factor gamma_s in |y| < 0.5. The second systematic uncertainty arises from the branching ratios.
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.
Differential cross sections of the reaction gamma d to K+ Sigma- (p) have been measured with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab using incident photons with energies between 1.1 and 3.6 GeV. This is the first complete set of strangeness photoproduction data on the neutron covering a broad angular range. At energies close to threshold and up to E_gamma ~ 1.8 GeV, the shape of the angular distribution is suggestive of the presence of s-channel production mechanisms. For E_gamma > 1.8 GeV, a clear forward peak appears and becomes more prominent as the photon energy increases, suggesting contributions from t-channel production mechanisms. These data can be used to constrain future analysis of this reaction.
The reactions gamma p --> K+ Lambda and gamma p --> K+ Sigma0 were measured in the energy range from threshold up to a photon energy of 2.6 GeV. The data were taken with the SAPHIR detector at the electron stretcher facility, ELSA. Results on cross sections and hyperon polarizations are presented as a function of kaon production angle and photon energy. The total cross section for Lambda production rises steeply with energy close to threshold, whereas the Sigma0 cross section rises slowly to a maximum at about E_gamma = 1.45 GeV. Cross sections together with their angular decompositions into Legendre polynomials suggest contributions from resonance production for both reactions. In general, the induced polarization of Lambda has negative values in the kaon forward direction and positive values in the backward direction. The magnitude varies with energy. The polarization of Sigma0 follows a similar angular and energy dependence as that of Lambda, but with opposite sign.
We present evidence for the existence of two strange J P = 1 − mesons; one at 1410 MeV/c 2 coupling principally to K ∗ (892)π , and the other at 1790 MeV/c 2 couplingto K π , K ∗ π and ϱ K. The data derive from a partial wave analysis of the K 0 π + π − system produced in the reaction K − p → K 0 π + π − n at 11 GeV /c . The production mechanism and quark model assignment of each state are discussed. The state at 1410 MeV/c 2 most naturally understood as the first radial excitation of the K ∗ (892), and the 1790 MeV/c 2 object can be interpreted as the triplet D wave partner to the 3 − K ∗ (1780).
Inclusive phi-meson production in neutral current deep inelastic e+p scattering has been measured with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 45 pb^{-1}. The phi mesons were studied in the range 10<Q2<100 GeV2, where Q2 is the virtuality of the exchanged photon, and in restricted kinematic regions in the transverse momentum, p_T, pseudorapidity, eta, and the scaled momentum in the Breit frame, x_p. Monte Carlo models with the strangeness-suppression factor as determined by analyses of e+e- annihilation events overestimate the cross sections. A smaller value of the strangeness-suppression factor reduces the predicted cross sections, but fails to reproduce the shapes of the measured differential cross sections. High-momentum phi mesons in the current region of the Breit frame give the first direct evidence for the strange sea in the proton at low x.
The production cross sections for the Λ, Σ0, Ξ−, Σ0 (1385), Ξ0 (1530) and Ω− hyperons have been measured, both in the continuum and in direct ϒ decays. Baryon rates in direct ϒ decays are enhanced by a factor of 2.5 or more compared to the continuum. Such a large baryon enhancement cannot be explained by standard fragmentation models. The strangeness suppression for baryons and mesons turns out to be the same. A strong suppression of spin 3/2 states is observed.
A new high precision measurement of the reaction pp -> pK+Lambda at a beam momentum of 2.95 GeV/c with more than 200,000 analyzed events allows a detailed analysis of differential observables and their inter-dependencies. Correlations of the angular distributions with momenta are examined. The invariant mass distributions are compared for different regions in the Dalitz plots. The cusp structure at the N Sigma threshold is described with the Flatt\'e formalism and its variation in the Dalitz plot is analyzed.
The production of Δ ++ baryons has been measured using 3.5 million hadronic Z 0 decays collected with the OPAL detector at LEP. The production rate and fragmentation function are presented. A total of 0.22 ± 0.04 ± 0.04 Δ ++ + ( Δ ) −− per hadronic Z 0 decay is observed. The fragmentation function is found to be softer than that predicted by the JETSET and HERWIG Monte Carlo event generators. With this measurement of Δ ++ production, at least one baryon of each strangeness level in the lightest baryon decuplet has now been measured at LEP.
The production of neutral strange hadrons is investigated using deep-inelastic scattering events measured with the H1 detector at HERA. The measurements are made in the phase space defined by the negative four-momentum transfer squared of the photon 2 < Q^2 < 100 GeV^2 and the inelasticity 0.1 < y < 0.6. The K_s and Lambda production cross sections and their ratios are determined. K_s production is compared to the production of charged particles in the same region of phase space. The Lambda - anti-Lambda asymmetry is also measured and found to be consistent with zero. Predictions of leading order Monte Carlo programs are compared to the data.
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