From a sample of 2.36 million minimum bias events produced in p p collisions at s =630 GeV in the UA1 experiment and from other published data at the CERN S p p S collider we have estimated the relative production of π ± , π 0 , K ± , K S 0 , Λ, Λ , p and p . We obtain a meson over baryon ratio M B = 6.4 ± 1.1 . From the K S 0 π ± ratio we measure the strangeness suppression factor λ = 0.29 ± 0.02 ± 0.01 which, combining with other available data provides a new world average of 0.29 ± 0.015. Both the K S 0 π ± ratio and the strangeness suppression factor λ as a function of s are investigated, and an extrapolation to the LHC energy is performed.

We present inclusive ¶ and K *0 (892) cross sections and Feynman x -spectra in K + p collisions at 250 GeV/ c . In the K + fragmentation region, x > 0.2, the ratio of ¶ to K *0 (892) is used to estimate the strangeness suppression factor λ , with the result γ =0.17 ± 0.02 (stat ± 0.01 (syst). We see no evidence for an energy dependence of λ in the CM energy range 7.8 ≤ s ≤21.7 GeV.

Data on the mean multiplicity of strange hadrons produced in minimum bias proton--proton and central nucleus--nucleus collisions at momenta between 2.8 and 400 GeV/c per nucleon have been compiled. The multiplicities for nucleon--nucleon interactions were constructed. The ratios of strange particle multiplicity to participant nucleon as well as to pion multiplicity are larger for central nucleus--nucleus collisions than for nucleon--nucleon interactions at all studied energies. The data at AGS energies suggest that the latter ratio saturates with increasing masses of the colliding nuclei. The strangeness to pion multiplicity ratio observed in nucleon--nucleon interactions increases with collision energy in the whole energy range studied. A qualitatively different behaviour is observed for central nucleus--nucleus collisions: the ratio rapidly increases when going from Dubna to AGS energies and changes little between AGS and SPS energies. This change in the behaviour can be related to the increase in the entropy production observed in central nucleus-nucleus collisions at the same energy range. The results are interpreted within a statistical approach. They are consistent with the hypothesis that the Quark Gluon Plasma is created at SPS energies, the critical collision energy being between AGS and SPS energies.

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.

In a study of K + p interactions at 12.7 GeV/ c we have carried out a search for meson resonances having any one of the following properties: (a) a strangeness of S =2, (b) S =1 and isotopic spin of I= 3 2 , or (c) S =1, I= 1 2 and decaying into an antihyperon ( Y ) and a nucleon (N).

Λ , Ξ and Ω yields and transverse mass spectra have been measured in Pb-Pb and p-Pb collisions at 158 A GeV/ c . The yields in Pb-Pb interactions are presented as a function of the collision centrality and compared with those obtained from p-Pb collisions. Strangeness enhancement is observed which increases with centrality and with the strangeness content of the hyperon.

Neutral kaon to negative pion production ratios fromvp and\(\bar vp\) charged current interactions in BEBC are presented and compared with LUND fragmentation model predictions. Good agreement is obtained with a strangeness suppression factor λ=0.203±0.014(stat)±0.010(sys). No evidence is seen for an energy dependence of λ in our kinematic region.

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Correlations in rapidity space are presented for identified π± and K± in e+e− annihilation at 29-GeV c.m. energy. Short-range KK correlations indicate local flavor compensation in the hadronization process. Long-range KK and ππ correlations prove that the initial partons carry flavor. In addition, we observe significant Kπ correlations as a result of heavy-quark decays.

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A search for baryonia with negative and positive strangeness decaying respectively into\(\Lambda+ \bar p + pions\) and\(\bar \Lambda+ p + pions\) has been carried out in a neutron beam with a mean momentum of ≅40 GeV/c in an experiment performed at the Serpukhov accelerator. There is a strong indication of the existence of these baryonia. The following four charge states are observed for negative and positive strangeness: neutral, negative, positive and doubly charged. Their mean mass is 3055±25 MeV/c2 and the width Γ≦36±15 MeV/c2. The data show that the isotopic spin of the baryonia is ≧3/2. The baryonia production cross sections in the acceptable kinematic regionXF≧0.2 andPT≦1 GeV/c times the branching ratios of the observed decays are of the order of 1 μb per nucleon.

We present a new measurement of the K L -K S mass difference ( Δm ) using semileptonic decays of neutral kaons. The measurement yields Δm = (0.5274 ± 0.0029 stat. ± 0.0005 syst. ) × 10 10 ħ/s.

Production of Λ, Λ , and K s 0 has been measured for a wide range of event multiplicity in S+Pb reactions at 200 GeV/c per nucleon. The production of Λ is shown to increase with multiplicity faster than expected from a superposition of p+p collisions. The effect is seen for low multiplicity (below 100 negative particles).

We use 772$\times 10^6$ $B \bar{B}$ meson pairs collected at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance with the Belle detector to measure the branching fraction for $\bar{B} \rightarrow X_s \gamma$. Our measurement uses a sum-of-exclusives approach in which 38 of the hadronic final states with strangeness equal to $+1$, denoted by $X_s$, are reconstructed. The inclusive branching fraction for $M_{X_s}<$ 2.8 GeV/$c^2$, which corresponds to a minimum photon energy of 1.9 GeV, is measured to be ${\cal B}(\bar{B} \rightarrow X_s \gamma)=(3.51\pm0.17\pm0.33)\times10^{-4}$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic.

From the measurements of the inclusive production ratios between π - , K - and p̄ at Feynman x = 0 in 360 GeV/ c pp interactions and using the predictions of the Lund fragmentation model, we determine the strangeness and diquark suppression factors and find γ s , l = 0.28 ± 0.03 and γ D , l = 0.063 ± 0.011 .

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.

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).

Data on φ -production obtained by the CERN NA49 experiment for central Pb+Pb collisions at 158 GeV/u are presented. Compared with pp interactions the φ -yield shows substantial strangeness enhancement: the φ /π ratio is found to increase by a factor of 2.6 ± 0.6, which is approximately the square of the K/π enhancement.

Measurements are presented of $K~0$ meson and $\Lambda$ baryon production in deep-inelastic positron-proton scattering (DIS) in the kinematic range $10 < Q~2 < 70\,$GeV$~2$ and $10~{-4} < x < 10~{-2}$. The measurements, obtained using the H1 detector at the HERA collider, are discussed in the light of possible mechanisms for increased strangeness production at low Bjorken-$x$. Comparisons of the $x_F$ spectra, where $x_F$ is the fractional longitudinal momentum in the hadronic centre-of-mass frame, with results from electron-positron annihilation are made. The $x_F$ spectra and the $K~0$ ``seagull'' plot are compared with previous DIS results. The mean $K~0$ and $\Lambda$ multiplicities are studied as a function of the centre-of-mass energy $W$ and are observed to be consistent with a logarithmic increase with $W$ when compared with previous measurements. A comparison of the levels of strangeness production in diffractive and non-diffractive DIS is made. An upper limit of $0.9\,$nb, at the $95\%$ confidence level, is placed on the cross-section for QCD instanton induced events.

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.

A 12 event/μb bubble chamber experiment on K − p interactions at 3.95 GeV/ c yielded 1212 events including systems with strangeness S = −2. Results concerning cascade resonances with masses less than 2000 MeV are reported; in particular a determination of the mass and width of the Ξ o 1530 and an interpretation of the mass region (1700–/) 2000) MeV.

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.

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.

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 .

Cross sections are presented for the inclusive production of Λ hyperons in electron-positron annihilations at s=29 GeV based on the full 291-pb−1 sample of data taken in the High Resolution Spectrometer experiment at the SLAC e+e− storage ring PEP. These results, and the associated correlation analyses, are consistent with the Lund model predictions with the strange diquark suppression ratio δ fixed at 0.59±0.10±0.18, as compared to the standard Lund value of 0.32. The Λ multiplicity has been found to be 0.182±0.020 per event. The opposite-strangeness multiplicity 〈nΛΛ¯〉 has been measured to be 0.046±0.020, whereas the like-strangeness multiplicity 〈nΛΛ+Λ¯Λ¯〉 is 0.009±0.028. A strong correlation is found between Λ's and Λ¯'s; when one is found in an event, the other is found in the same event with a probability that exceeds 50%.

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.

Measurements of inclusive transverse-momentum spectra for KS0 mesons produced in proton-antiproton collisions at s of 630 and 1800 GeV are presented and compared with data taken at lower energies. The ratio, as a function of pT, of the cross section for KS0 to that for charged hadrons is very similar to what is observed at lower energies. At 1800 GeV, we calculate the strangeness-suppression factor λ=0.40±0.05.

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The ratios of high p T charged kaon to pion production cross sections at √ s = 45 and 62 GeV are presented. The values of the K ± π ± ratios are essentially independent of both √ s and x T = 2p T √s and are compatible with a strangeness suppression factor λ = 0.55. By contrast, the K − π − values fall with x T suggesting a gluonic origin of K − . QCD calculations agrees with the measurements.

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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 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.

Recent interest in the low-energy kaon-nucleon system has been substantially motivated by the possible existence of an exotic positive-strangeness, isospin-zero baryon resonance. We report here measurements of the cross section and differential cross section for K+n charge-exchange scattering in our exposure of the BNL 30-inch deuterium bubble chamber to a K+ beam at 0.7, 0.8; and 0.9 GeV/c. We compare our results with previous results and with the predictions of a recently published phase-shift analysis.

The production ofK0, Λ and\(\bar \Lambda \) particles is studied in the E665 muon-nucleon experiment at Fermilab. The average multiplicities and squared transverse momenta are measured as a function ofxF andW2. Most features of the data can be well described by the Lund model. Within this model, the data on the K0/π± ratios and on the averageK0 multiplicity in the forward region favor a strangeness suppression factors/u in the fragmentation process near 0.20. Clear evidence for QCD effects is seen in the average squared transverse momentum ofK0 and Λ particles.

Strange and multistrange baryon production is expected to be enhanced in heavy ion interactions if a phase transition from hadronic matter to a Quark-Gluon Plasma takes place. The production yields of Λ s, Λ s, Ξ − s, and Ξ + s relative to the production of negative particles are presented for sulphur-tungsten interactions at 200 GeV/ c per nucleon. These production yields are compared to those produced in proton-tungsten interactions and the enhancements of strange and multistrange baryons and antibaryons are presented.

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 &lt; Q^2 &lt; 100 GeV^2 and the inelasticity 0.1 &lt; y &lt; 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.

Results on the following π−p reactions involving a hyperon are studied at 4.5 and 6.0 GeV/c from a high-statistics bubble-chamber experiment. (1) π−p→(Λ, Σ0)K0: Differential cross sections and hyperon polarizations are presented. Comparison with the line-reversed reactions K¯N→(Λ, Σ0)π indicates the failure of the predictions of K*(890) and K*(1420) exchange degeneracy. Effective trajectories for these two reactions are compared. Shrinkage is observed in K¯N→Λπ and not in π−p→ΛK0. (2) π−p→(Λ, Σ0)K*(890)0: Differential cross sections, hyperon polarizations, and K*(890)0 density-matrix elements are determined. ΛK*(890)0 decay correlations are found to impose strong constraints on the scattering amplitudes. The data indicate that both natural- and unnatural-parity exchanges contribute large, but opposite, Λ polarizations. This behavior cannot be explained by a simple exchange model utilizing K and the exchange-degenerate K*(890) and K*(1420) only. Additional trajectories or absorption effects are required to obtain the observed Λ-polarization effects. Comparison of ΛK*(890)0 and Σ0K*(890)0 indicates the greater importance of unnatural-parity exchange in the former reaction. We observe no evidence for deviations from isospin predictions in ΛK*(890)0 production where K*(890)0→K+π− and KS0π0. (3) π−p→ΛK*(1420)0 and ΛK*(1300)0: K*(1420)0 density-matrix elements satisfying positivity constraints are determined allowing for s-wave interference effects. Evidence of the existence of a narrow K*(1300)0→Kππ with a dominant K+ρ− decay mode is observed in the 4.5- and 6-GeV/c data. (4) Σ(1385), Λ(1405), Λ(1520) production: Differential cross sections for the quasi-two-body reactions π−p→Y0K0, where Y0 is Λ(1405), Λ(1520), or Σ(1385)0, are presented and found to have a very similar flat slope in the forward direction. Data for forward K+ scattering in the reaction π−p→Σ(1385)−K+ are presented and discussed. It is argued that this forward peak cannot be explained by kinematic reflection or an s-channel effect and therefore must be due to either two-particle exchange or a single exotic exchange in the t channel.

A tagged photon beam (2.8<Eγ<4.8 GeV) and multiparticle spectrometer have been used to study the photoproduction in hydrogen ofK+Λ(1520). Precise values for the mass and width of the Λ(1520) are given. The total cross-section is found to fall with increasing photon energy like (6.5±0.7)Eγ−(2.1±0.2) μb. The differential cross sectiondσ/dt indicates peripheral forward production and exhibits no evidence for shrinkage when compared with higher energy data. The Λ(1520) spin density matrix shows thatK exchange alone cannot account for the production mechanism. The reaction is found to resemble the process γp→K+ Λ(1115) in all measurable respects.

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In pp collisions at √ s = 44.7 and 62.3 GeV, where each proton fragments into at least one low- p T, high- x meson or baryon, no correlations between the particle momenta are found for ππ , π K, KK, and p π pairs. The ππ data show a preference for the formation of electrically neutral ππ systems. The KK data show the influence of strangeness conservation. For pp and pΛ final states, the momentum dependence of the correlation ratio R can be described by the scaling variable z = (1 − x 1 )(1 − x 2 ). Small deviations from factorization are discussed.

The inclusive production of neutral kaons in 70 GeV/ c K + p interactions is studied with the CERN BEBC bubble chamber. The (semi-)inclusive cross sections are interpreted in terms of the various strangeness channels leading to neutral kaon production. The invariant inclusive cross section for kaon production is studied as a function of p t 2 and the Feynman variable x . The latter distributions are considered both “raw” and corrected for the presence of K 0 's resulting from K ∗ decay. They are compared with the predictions expected from the Regge-Mueller formalism, the recombination model and fragmentation models.

Preliminary results from WA97 measurements on Λ, Ξ and Ω production in lead-lead and proton-lead collisions are presented, along with a comparison of WA97 proton-lead data with previous WA85 proton-tungsten results. The ratio Ω gX seems to be enhanced in lead initiated reactions compared to proton initiated reactions.

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.

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Data on stable hadron production in p + p and p + n interactions at 200 GeV/ c are reviewed. Methods to construct missing data in the p + p, p + n, and n + n interactions are derived from charge symmetry and charge, baryon and strangeness conservation, and used to yield nucleon-nucleon interaction results. These may be useful for evaluating nucleus-nucleus collision measurements in terms of enhancements and suppressions. Parameterizations of p t 2 and rapidity distributions are presented to provide yields in acceptance cuts for comparisons to nucleus-nucleus data. As an example the derived nucleon-nucleon multiplicities are reduced to the acceptances of the NA-35 CERN S + S experiment.

Inclusive $K^0$ and $\Lambda$ photoproduction has been investigated at HERA with the H1 detector at an average photon-proton center of mass energy of 200 GeV in the transverse momentum range 0.5 <p_t <5 GeV. The production rates as a function of $p_t$ and center of mass rapidity are compared to those obtained in deep inelastic scattering at $\av{Q^2}=23 GeV^2$. A similar comparison is made of the rapidity spectra of charged particles. The rate of strangeness photoproduction is compared with $p\bar p$ measurements. The observations are also compared with next-to-leading order QCD calculations and the predictions of a Monte Carlo model.

The production of Λ,\(\bar \Lambda\) andKs0 has been studied in 200 GeV/nucleonp+S and S+S collisions in the streamer chamber of the NA35 experiment at the CERN SPS. Significant enhancement of the multiplicities of all observed strange particles relative to negative hadrons was observed in central S+S collisions, as compared top+p andp+S collisions. The latter collisions show no overall (relative) strangeness enhancement overp+p, but the rapidity distributions and hadron multiplicities indicate some secondary cascading production of Λ particles in thep+S andp+Au collisions. The Λ polarization in central S+S collisions was found to be compatible with zero up topT=2 GeV/c.

The production of K_short mesons in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 0.9 TeV is studied with the LHCb detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The luminosity of the analysed sample is determined using a novel technique, involving measurements of the beam currents, sizes and positions, and is found to be 6.8 +/- 1.0 microbarn^-1. The differential prompt K_short production cross-section is measured as a function of the K_short transverse momentum and rapidity in the region 0 &lt; pT &lt; 1.6 GeV/c and 2.5 &lt; y &lt; 4.0. The data are found to be in reasonable agreement with previous measurements and generator expectations.