We have measured the parity-violating electroweak asymmetry in the elastic scattering of polarized electrons from the proton. The kinematic point (theta_lab = 12.3 degrees and Q^2=0.48 (GeV/c)^2) is chosen to provide sensitivity, at a level that is of theoretical interest, to the strange electric form factor G_E^s. The result, A=-14.5 +- 2.2 ppm, is consistent with the electroweak Standard Model and no additional contributions from strange quarks. In particular, the measurement implies G_E^s + 0.39G_M^s = 0.023 +- 0.034 (stat) +- 0.022 (syst) +- 0.026 (delta G_E^n), where the last uncertainty arises from the estimated uncertainty in the neutron electric form factor.
We present the final results from Experiment 864 of a search for charged and neutral strange quark matter produced in interactions of 11.5 GeV/c per nucleon Au beams with Pt or Pb targets. Searches were made for strange quark matter with A>4. Approximately 30 billion 10% most central collisions were sampled and no strangelet states with A<100 were observed. We find 90% confidence level upper limits of approximately 10^{-8} per central collision for both charged and neutral strangelets. These limits are for strangelets with proper lifetimes greater than 50 ns. Also limits for H^{0}-d and pineut production are given. The above limits are compared with the predictions of various models. The yields of light nuclei from coalescence are measured and a penalty factor for the addition of one nucleon to the coalescing nucleus is determined. This is useful in gauging the significance of our upper limits and also in planning future searches for strange quark matter.
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.
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 of $\Xi(1321)^{-}$ and $\overline{\Xi}(1321)^{+}$ hyperons in inelastic p+p interactions is studied in a fixed target experiment at a beam momentum of 158 GeV/textitc. Double differential distributions in rapidity y and transverse momentum $p_{T}$ are obtained from a sample of 33M inelastic events. They allow to extrapolate the spectra to full phase space and to determine the mean multiplicity of both $\Xi^{-}$ and $\overline{\Xi}^{+}$. The rapidity and transverse momentum spectra are compared to transport model predictions. The $\Xi^{-}$ mean multiplicity in inelastic p+p interactions at 158~\GeVc is used to quantify the strangeness enhancement in A+A collisions at the same centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair.
We report on a search for metastable positively and negatively charged states of strange quark matter in Au+Pb reactions at 11.6 A GeV/c in experiment E864. We have sampled approximately six billion 10% most central Au+Pb interactions and have observed no strangelet states (baryon number A < 100 droplets of strange quark matter). We thus set upper limits on the production of these exotic states at the level of 1-6 x 10^{-8} per central collision. These limits are the best and most model independent for this colliding system. We discuss the implications of our results on strangelet production mechanisms, and also on the stability question of strange quark matter.
The polarization of Λ baryons from Z decays is studied with the Aleph apparatus. Evidence of longitudinal polarization of s quarks from Z decay is observed for the first time. The measured longitudinal Λ polarization is P L Λ = −0.32 ± 0.07 for z = p p beam > 0.3 . This agrees with the prediction of −0.39 ± 0.08 from the standard model and the constituent quark model, where the error is due to uncertainties in the mechanism for Λ production. The observed Λ polarization is diluted with respect to the primary s quark polarization by Λ baryons without a primary s quark. Measurements of the Λ forward-backward asymmetry and of the correlation between back-to-back Λ Λ pairs are used to check this dilution. In addition the transverse Λ polarization is measured. An indication of transverse polarization, more than two standard deviations away from zero, is found along the normal to the plane defined by the thrust axis and the Λ direction.
The NA44 Collaboration has measured yields and differential distributions of K+, K-, pi+, pi- in transverse kinetic energy and rapidity, around the center-of-mass rapidity in 158 A GeV/c Pb+Pb collisions at the CERN SPS. A considerable enhancement of K+ production per pi is observed, as compared to p+p collisions at this energy. To illustrate the importance of secondary hadron rescattering as an enhancement mechanism, we compare strangeness production at the SPS and AGS with predictions of the transport model RQMD.
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.
Inclusive branching ratios involving b to tau transitions are measured in approximately four million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP. The fully-inclusive branching ratio b -> tau nu X and the semi-inclusive branching ratio b -> tau nu D*+/- X are measured to be (2.43 +/- 0.20 +/- 0.25)% and (0.88 +/- 0.31 +/- 0.28)%, in agreement with the standard model predictions. Upper limits on the branching fractions b -> tau nu and b -> s nu nubar are set to 8.3 10**-4 and 6.4 10**-4 at the 90% C.L. These results allow a 90% C.L. lower limit of 0.40 (GeV/c**2)**-1 to be set on the tan(beta)/mH+/- ratio, in the framework of type-II two-Higgs-doublet mode
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