We report results from a study of Λ0 polarization in the exclusive reaction pp→pf(Λ0K+) at 800−GeV/c. We observe a dependence of the polarization on the Λ0K+ invariant mass with large (+71%) positive polarization at small mass (1.63−GeV/c2) and large (−43%) negative polarization at large mass (2.75−GeV/c2). This observation confirms the result of the CERN ISR R608 experiment and extends the range over which the effect is observed. The strong dependence of the polarization on the Λ0K+ invariant mass suggests that the origin of the polarization is closely related to the production dynamics of the diffractively produced Λ0K+ system.
We report the first observation of diffractively produced open charm in 800−GeV/c pp collisions of the type pp→pD*X. We measure cross sections of σdiff(D*+)=(0.185±0.044±0.054)μb and σdiff(D*−)=(0.174±0.034±0.029)μb. Our measurements are based on 4.3×109 events recorded by FNAL E690 in the fixed-target run of 1991. We compare our results with previous fixed-target charm experiments.
We have measured the xF and PT dependence of the polarization of Λ0 hyperons produced in exclusive final states pp→pΛ0K+π+π−, pp→pΛ0K+π+π−π+π−, pp→pΛ0K+π+π−π+π−π+π−, and pp→pΛ0K+π+π−π+π−π+π−π+π− at 27.5 GeV/ c. We present an empirical parametrization for Λ0 polarization as a function of xF and PT: P=(−0.443±0.037)xFPT for −1≤xF≤1 and 0≤PT≤1.8GeV/c. This parametrization is independent of the final state and provides a good description of the data. We note that the mechanism responsible for Λ0 polarization appears to be independent of the production mechanism.
We report the $p+p$ and $p+d$ differential cross sections measured in the SeaQuest experiment for $J/\psi$ and $\psi\left(2S\right)$ production at 120 GeV beam energy covering the forward $x$-Feynman ($x_F$) range of $0.5 < x_F <0.9$. The measured cross sections are in good agreement with theoretical calculations based on the nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD) using the long-distance matrix elements deduced from a recent global analysis of proton- and pion-induced charmonium production data. The $\sigma_{\psi\left(2S\right)} / \sigma_{J/\psi}$ cross section ratios are found to increase as $x_F$ increases, indicating that the $q \bar{q}$ annihilation process has larger contributions in the $\psi\left(2S\right)$ production than the $J/\psi$ production. The $\sigma_{pd}/2\sigma_{pp}$ cross section ratios are observed to be significantly different for the Drell-Yan process and $J/\psi$ production, reflecting their different production mechanisms. We find that the $\sigma_{pd}/2\sigma_{pp}$ ratios for $J/\psi$ production at the forward $x_F$ region are sensitive to the $\bar{d}/ \bar{u}$ flavor asymmetry of the proton sea, analogous to the Drell-Yan process. The transverse momentum ($p_T$) distributions for $J/\psi$ and $\psi\left(2S\right)$ production are also presented and compared with data collected at higher center-of-mass energies.
The fundamental building blocks of the proton, quarks and gluons, have been known for decades. However, we still have an incomplete theoretical and experimental understanding of how these particles and their dynamics give rise to the quantum bound state of the proton and its physical properties, such as for example its spin. The two up and the single down quarks that comprise the proton in the simplest picture account only for a few percent of the proton mass, the bulk of which is in the form of quark kinetic and potential energy and gluon energy from the strong force. An essential feature of this force, as described by quantum chromodynamics, is its ability to create matter-antimatter quark pairs inside the proton that exist only for a very short time. Their fleeting existence makes the antimatter quarks within protons difficult to study, but their existence is discernible in reactions where a matter-antimatter quark pair annihilates. In this picture of quark-antiquark creation by the strong force, the probability distributions as a function of momentum for the presence of up and down antimatter quarks should be nearly identical, since their masses are quite similar and small compared to the mass of the proton. In the present manuscript, we show evidence from muon pair production measurements that these distributions are significantly different, with more abundant down antimatter quarks than up antimatter quarks over a wide range of momentum. These results revive interest in several proposed mechanisms as the origin of this antimatter asymmetry in the proton that had been disfavored by the previous results and point to the future measurements that can distinguish between these mechanisms.
Total cross sections of π ± , K ± , p and p on protons and deuterons have been measured at 6 momenta between 200 and 370 GeV/ c .
New measurements are reported of total cross sections for π ± , K ± , p and p on protons and deuterons at 11 momenta between 23 and 280 GeV/ c .
Total cross sections of π± and K± on protons and deuterons have been measured at 50, 100, 150, and 200 GeV/c. All of the cross sections rise with increasing momentum.
Proton and antiproton total cross sections on protons and deuterons have been measured at 50, 100, 150, and 200 GeV/c. The proton cross sections rise with increasing momentum. Antiproton cross sections fall with increasing momentum, but the rate of fall decreases between 50 and 150 GeV/c, and from 150 to 200 GeV/c there is little change in cross section.
We report preliminary results on the production of electron-positron pairs in the mass range 2.5 to 4 GeV in 400-GeV p-Be interactions. Production cross sections of the ψ(3100) near x=0 as a function of pt, x, and the decay angle are presented and implications of these new data for single direct leptons are discussed. A ψ′(3700) signal is observed at a level corresponding to σ(ψ′)σ(ψ)=(10±3)%.
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