We have measured the cross section of four charged pion production in photon-photon interactions in the invariant mass range 1.0≦Wγγ≦3.2 GeV and up toQ2=16 GeV2. For 1.2 GeV≦Wγγ≦1.7 GeV the process is dominated by ρ0ρ0 production with a rapid rise in cross section around 1.2 GeV, well below the nominal ρ0ρ0 threshold. The observed distributions in the two particle masses and in the production and decay angles are well described by an incoherent sum of the phase-space subprocesses γγ →ρ0ρ0, →ρ0π+π−, and →π+π−π+π−. A spin-parity analysis of the ρ0ρ0 system showsJP=2+ to dominate, although 0+ is also possible forWγγ≦1.4 GeV. Negative partity states are excluded.
Inclusive <math altimg="si2.gif" display="inline" overflow="scroll"><msup><mi>K</mi><mo>+</mo></msup></math> production in proton–proton collisions has been measured at a beam energy of 2.16 GeV using the COSY-ANKE magnetic spectrometer. The resulting spectrum, as well as those corresponding to <math altimg="si3.gif" display="inline" overflow="scroll"><msup><mi>K</mi><mo>+</mo></msup><mi>p</mi></math> and <math altimg="si4.gif" display="inline" overflow="scroll"><msup><mi>K</mi><mo>+</mo></msup><msup><mi>π</mi><mo>+</mo></msup></math> correlated pairs, can all be well described using consistent values of the total cross sections for the <math altimg="si5.gif" display="inline" overflow="scroll"><mi>p</mi><mi>p</mi><mo>→</mo><msup><mi>K</mi><mo>+</mo></msup><mi>p</mi><mi>Λ</mi></math>, <math altimg="si6.gif" display="inline" overflow="scroll"><mi>p</mi><mi>p</mi><mo>→</mo><msup><mi>K</mi><mo>+</mo></msup><mi>p</mi><msup><mi>Σ</mi><mn>0</mn></msup></math>, and <math altimg="si7.gif" display="inline" overflow="scroll"><mi>p</mi><mi>p</mi><mo>→</mo><msup><mi>K</mi><mo>+</mo></msup><mi>n</mi><msup><mi>Σ</mi><mo>+</mo></msup></math> reactions. While the resulting values for Λ and <math altimg="si8.gif" display="inline" overflow="scroll"><msup><mi>Σ</mi><mn>0</mn></msup></math> production are in good agreement with world data, our value for the total <math altimg="si9.gif" display="inline" overflow="scroll"><msup><mi>Σ</mi><mo>+</mo></msup></math> production cross section, <math altimg="si10.gif" display="inline" overflow="scroll"><mi>σ</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mi>p</mi><mi>p</mi><mo>→</mo><msup><mi>K</mi><mo>+</mo></msup><mi>n</mi><msup><mi>Σ</mi><mo>+</mo></msup><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mo>=</mo><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mn>2.5</mn><mo>±</mo><msub><mn>0.6</mn><mi mathvariant="normal">stat</mi></msub><mo>±</mo><msub><mn>0.4</mn><mi mathvariant="normal">syst</mi></msub><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mtext> μb</mtext></math> at an excess energy of <math altimg="si11.gif" display="inline" overflow="scroll"><mi>ε</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>129</mn><mtext> MeV</mtext></math>, could only be reconciled with other recently published data if there were a highly unusual near threshold behaviour.
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