The production of the Sigma+ hyperon through the pp->K+nSigma+ reaction has been investigated at four energies close to threshold, 1.826, 1.920, 1.958, and 2.020 GeV. At low energies, correlated K+pi+ pairs can only originate from Sigma+ production so that their measurement allows the total cross section for the reaction to be determined. The results obtained are completely consistent with the values extracted from the study of the K+-proton correlation spectra obtained in the same experiment. These spectra, as well as the inclusive K+ momentum distributions, also provide conservative upper limits on the Sigma+ production rates. The measurements show a Sigma+ production cross section that varies roughly like phase space and, in particular, none of the three experimental approaches used supports the anomalously high near-threshold pp->K+ nSigma+ total cross section previously reported [T. Rozek et al., Phys. Lett. B 643, 251 (2006)].
The K+ double-differential cross section at each of the 5 beam energies intgerated over momentum bins of width +- 12 MeV/c. Note the errors do not include the 7 PCT systematic uncertainty coming from the normalization.
Total cross section for the P P --> K+ P LAMBDA.
Total cross section for the P P --> K+ P SIGMA0.
The differential and total cross sections for kaon pair production in the pp->ppK+K- reaction have been measured at three beam energies of 2.65, 2.70, and 2.83 GeV using the ANKE magnetic spectrometer at the COSY-Juelich accelerator. These near-threshold data are separated into pairs arising from the decay of the phi-meson and the remainder. For the non-phi selection, the ratio of the differential cross sections in terms of the K-p and K+p invariant masses is strongly peaked towards low masses. This effect can be described quantitatively by using a simple ansatz for the K-p final state interaction, where it is seen that the data are sensitive to the magnitude of an effective K-p scattering length. When allowance is made for a small number of phi events where the K- rescatters from the proton, the phi region is equally well described at all three energies. A very similar phenomenon is discovered in the ratio of the cross sections as functions of the K-pp and K+pp invariant masses and the identical final state interaction model is also very successful here. The world data on the energy dependence of the non-phi total cross section is also reproduced, except possibly for the results closest to threshold.
Total cross sections for the reaction P P --> P P K+ K- reaction in the phi poor and phi rich regions.
Differential cross section as a function of the invariant mass of the K+ K- pair.
Differential cross section as a function of the invariant mass of the K+ P and K- P pair and their ratio.
The pp -> p K+ Y0 reaction has been studied for hyperon masses m(Y0)<1540 MeV/c2 at COSY-J\'ulich by using a 3.65 GeV/c circulating proton beam incident on an internal hydrogen target. Final states comprising two protons, one positively charged kaon and one negatively charged pion have been identified with the ANKE spectrometer. Such configurations are sensitive to the production of the ground state Lambda and Sigma0 hyperons as well as the Sigma0(1385) and Lambda(1405) resonances. Applying invariant- and missing-mass techniques, the two overlapping excited states can be separated unambiguously. The shape and position of the Lambda(1405) distribution, reconstructed cleanly from its Sigma0 pion0 decay, are similar to those found in other production modes and there is no obvious mass shift. This finding constitutes a challenging test for models that predict Lambda(1405) to be a two-state resonance.
Cross section for SIGMA(1385)0 production.
Cross section for LAMBDA(1405) production.
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.
Total cross section for the reaction P P --> K+ N SIGMA+.
Total cross section for the reaction P P --> K+ P LAMBDA.
Total cross section for the reaction P P --> K+ P SIGMA0.
We present the first measurements of the double spin asymmetries A_NN and A_SS at sqrt{s}=200 GeV, obtained by the pp2pp experiment using polarized proton beams at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The data were collected in the four momentum transfer t range 0.01<|t|<0.03 (GeV/c)^2. The measured asymmetries, which are consistent with zero, allow us to estimate upper limits on the double helicity-flip amplitudes phi_2 and phi_4 at small t as well as on the difference Delta(sigma_T) between the total cross sections for transversely polarized protons with antiparallel or parallel spin orientations.
Double spin asymmetries.
Double spin asymmetries.
T dependence of the double spin asymmetry ASS3 with statistical errors only.
The reaction pp->p K0 pi+ Lambda has been studied with the ANKE spectrometer at COSY-Juelich at a beam momentum of 3.65 GeV/c in order to search for a possible signal of the pentaquark Theta+(1540), decaying into the p K0 system. By detecting four charged particles in the final state, the K0 and the Lambda have been reconstructed to tag strangeness production. It has been found that the pi+ Lambda missing-mass spectrum displays no significant signal expected from the Theta+(1540) excitation. The total cross section for the reaction pp->p K0 pi+ Lambda has been deduced, as well as an upper limit for the Theta+ production cross section. The intermediate Delta++ K0 Lambda state is found to provide a significant contribution to the reaction.
Measured cross sections.
The pp->pp phi reaction has been studied at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY-Juelich, using the internal beam and ANKE facility. Total cross sections have been determined at three excess energies epsilon near the production threshold. The differential cross section closest to threshold at epsilon=18.5 MeV exhibits a clear S-wave dominance as well as a noticeable effect due to the proton-proton final state interaction. Taken together with data for pp omega-production, a significant enhancement of the phi/omega ratio of a factor 8 is found compared to predictions based on the Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka rule.
K+ K- invariant mass distribution.
Total cross sections.
Differential decay distribution of the K+ in the rest frame of the PHI-meson w.r.t. the beam.
We report on the first measurement of the single spin analyzing power (A_N) at sqrt(s)=200GeV, obtained by the pp2pp experiment using polarized proton beams at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Data points were measured in the four momentum transfer t range 0.01 < |t| < 0.03 (GeV/c)^2. Our result, averaged over the whole t-interval is about one standard deviation above the calculation, which uses interference between electromagnetic spin-flip amplitude and hadronic non-flip amplitude, the source of A_N. The difference could be explained by an additional contribution of a hadronic spin-flip amplitude to A_N.
The single spin analyzing power for 3 T intervals.
The first result of the pp2pp experiment at RHIC on elastic scattering of polarized protons at sqrt{s} = 200 GeV is reported here. The exponential slope parameter b of the diffractive peak of the elastic cross section in the t range 0.010 <= |t| <= 0.019 (GeV/c)^2 was measured to be b = 16.3 +- 1.6 (stat.) +- 0.9 (syst.) (GeV/c)^{-2} .
Measured slope of the elastic cross section.
The reaction pp->d K+ Kbar0 has been investigated at an excess energy of Q=46 MeV above the (K+ Kbar0) threshold with ANKE at COSY-Juelich. From the detected coincident dK+ pairs about 1000 events with a missing Kbar0 were identified, corresponding to a total cross section of sigma(pp->d K+ Kbar0)=(38 +/- 2(stat) +/- 14(syst)) nb. Invariant-mass and angular distributions have been jointly analyzed and reveal s-wave dominance between the two kaons, accompanied by a p-wave between the deuteron and the kaon system. This is interpreted in terms of a0+(980)-resonance production.
Total cross section for P P --> DEUT K+ KBAR0.
Centre of mass angular distribution of the deuteron with respect to the direction of the incoming proton.
Centre of mass angular distribution of the vector joining the K+ and KBAR0 with respect to the direction of the incoming proton.