Measurements of charged pion and kaon production in central Pb+Pb collisions at 40, 80 and 158 AGeV are presented. These are compared with data at lower and higher energies as well as with results from p+p interactions. The mean pion multiplicity per wounded nucleon increases approximately linearly with s_NN^1/4 with a change of slope starting in the region 15-40 AGeV. The change from pion suppression with respect to p+p interactions, as observed at low collision energies, to pion enhancement at high energies occurs at about 40 AGeV. A non-monotonic energy dependence of the ratio of K^+ to pi^+ yields is observed, with a maximum close to 40 AGeV and an indication of a nearly constant value at higher energies.The measured dependences may be related to an increase of the entropy production and a decrease of the strangeness to entropy ratio in central Pb+Pb collisions in the low SPS energy range, which is consistent with the hypothesis that a transient state of deconfined matter is created above these energies. Other interpretations of the data are also discussed.
The inclusive cross section for the production ofKs0 mesons, Λ and\(\bar \Lambda\) particles in proton-proton interactions at\(\sqrt s= 63\) GeV is presented. The produced particles have been detected in the full phase space. Behaviour of the longitudinal and transversal depandences of the cross sections are discussed. The total production cross sections fors0 mesons and Λ particles was determined to\(\sigma _{{\rm K}_S^0 }= (25.5 \pm 1.4)\) mb andσΛ=(7.8±1.2) mb respectively. A strong energy dependence of the production cross sections is observed.
Momenta of charged particles produced in inelastic αα, αp, andpp collisions were measured using the Split-Field-Magnet detector at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings. Inclusive and semi-in-clusive spectra are presented as a function of rapidityy, Feynman-x, and transverse momentumpT. The inclusivey distributions agree well with predictions of the dual parton model; the highest particle densities are reached aty≃0 and the momenta of leading protons decrease significantly for increasing total multiplicity. ‘Temperatures’ are equal in αα, αp, andpp interactions. ThepT distributions depend weakly on the multiplicity.
Events are analyzed in which a high transverse momentum proton was produced at polar angles of 10°, 20° and 45°. The experiment was performed with the Split Field Magnet detector at the CERN ISR at\(\sqrt s \)=62 GeV. A 4-jet structure of these events is found [1]. The measured charge structure of spectator jets is compatible with proton production from hard diquark scattering. This is supported by a study of baryon number compensation in the towards jets. The observed charge compensation in the towards jets suggests dominance of hard (ud) scattering. Evidence forΔ++ production at high transverse momentum indicates the presence of an additional (uu) scattering component. The properties of the recoiling away jets are compatible with the fragmentation of a valence quark and/or of a gluon as in the case of meson triggers.
Inclusive production of ϱ0,f, andg0 mesons and ofKs0,K*0 (892), ϕ andK*0(1430)mesons has been measured at <y>∼2.6 and <pT>∼1.1 GeV/c in proton-proton interactions at\(\sqrt s= 52.5\) GeV. The negative particle from the two-body decays of these resonances were identified by a threshold Cerenkov counter and used for triggering. Starting from the measured differential cross section, total inclusive cross sections for the vector and tensor mesons were determined using various parametrizations for they andpT dependence of the differential cross section. The experimental results are discussed in the framework of production models based on the parton picture. The strangeness suppresion factor λ=(0.30±0.10) due toSU(3) symmetry breaking of the quark sea is derived.
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.
The relative yields of kaons and protons compared with the yield of pions at highpT and polar angles θ away from 90° (in the range from 10° to 45°) are presented forpp, dd, and αα interactions at a centre-of-mass energy\(\sqrt {s_{NN} }= 31\) GeV per nucleon-nucleon collision. The measured particle ratios depend on the atomic mass numberA of the beam particles and on θ. TheA dependence of the ratios becomes stronger for largerpT and is more pronounced at smaller polar angles.
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.
A sample of Lambda's produced in 2 A*GeV Ni + Cu collisions has been obtained with the EOS Time Projection Chamber at the Bevalac. Low background in the invariant mass distribution allows for the unambiguous demonstration of Lambda directed flow. The transverse mass spectrum at mid-rapidity has the characteristic shoulder-arm shape of particles undergoing radial transverse expansion. A linear dependence of Lambda multiplicity on impact parameter is observed, from which a total Lambda + Sigma^0 production cross section of $112 +/- 24 mb is deduced. Detailed comparisons with the ARC and RVUU models are made.
The Mark J Collaboration at the DESY e+e− collider PETRA presents results on the electroweak reactions e+e−→μ+μ−τ+τ−,μ+μ−γ, and e+e−μ+μ−. The c.m. energy range is 12 to 46.78 GeV. In the μ+μ− and τ+τ− channels the total cross sections and the forward-backward asymmetries are reported and compared with other experiments. The results are in excellent agreement with the standard model. The weak-neutral-current vector and axial-vector coupling constants are determined. The values for muons and τ’s are compatible with universality and with the predictions of the standard model. In the μ+μ−γ channel, all measured distributions, including the forward-backward muon asymmetry, are in excellent agreement with the electroweak theory. Our data on the two-photon process, e+e−μ+μ−, agrees with QED to order α4 over the entire energy range and the Q2 range from 0.7 to 166 GeV2.
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