The $e^+e^-\to K^+K^-$ cross section and charged-kaon electromagnetic form factor are measured in the $e^+e^-$ center-of-mass energy range ($E$) from 2.6 to 8.0 GeV using the initial-state radiation technique with an undetected photon. The study is performed using 469 fb$^{-1}$ of data collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II $e^+e^-$ collider at center-of-mass energies near 10.6 GeV. The form factor is found to decrease with energy faster than $1/E^2$, and approaches the asymptotic QCD prediction. Production of the $K^+K^-$ final state through the $J/\psi$ and $\psi(2S)$ intermediate states is observed. The results for the kaon form factor are used together with data from other experiments to perform a model-independent determination of the relative phases between single-photon and strong amplitudes in $J/\psi$ and $\psi(2S)\to K^+K^-$ decays. The values of the branching fractions measured in the reaction $e^+e^- \to K^+K^-$ are shifted relative to their true values due to interference between resonant and nonresonant amplitudes. The values of these shifts are determined to be about $\pm5\%$ for the $J/\psi$ meson and $\pm15\%$ for the $\psi(2S)$ meson.

The ALICE Collaboration has measured inclusive J/psi production in pp collisions at a center of mass energy sqrt(s)=2.76 TeV at the LHC. The results presented in this Letter refer to the rapidity ranges |y|<0.9 and 2.5<y<4 and have been obtained by measuring the electron and muon pair decay channels, respectively. The integrated luminosities for the two channels are L^e_int=1.1 nb^-1 and L^mu_int=19.9 nb^-1, and the corresponding signal statistics are N_J/psi^e+e-=59 +/- 14 and N_J/psi^mu+mu-=1364 +/- 53. We present dsigma_J/psi/dy for the two rapidity regions under study and, for the forward-y range, d^2sigma_J/psi/dydp_t in the transverse momentum domain 0<p_t<8 GeV/c. The results are compared with previously published results at sqrt(s)=7 TeV and with theoretical calculations.

The first measurement of two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. We observe a growing trend with energy now not only for the longitudinal and the outward but also for the sideward pion source radius. The pion homogeneity volume and the decoupling time are significantly larger than those measured at RHIC.

We present a measurement of the cross section of the process $e^+e^-\to\pi^+pi^-\psi(2S)$ from threshold up to 8 GeV center-of-mass energy using events containing initial-state radiation, produced at the PEP-II $e^+e^-$ storage rings. The study is based on 298 fb$^{-1}$ of data recorded with the BaBar detector. A structure is observed in the cross-section not far above threshold, near 4.32 GeV. We also investigate the compatibility of this structure with the Y(4260) previously reported by this experiment.

We present measurements of the total production rates and momentum distributions of the charmed baryon $\Lambda_c^+$ in $e^+e^- \to$ hadrons at a center-of-mass energy of 10.54 GeV and in $\Upsilon(4S)$ decays. In hadronic events at 10.54 GeV, charmed hadrons are almost exclusively leading particles in $e^+e^- \to c\bar{c}$ events, allowing direct studies of $c$-quark fragmentation. We measure a momentum distribution for $\Lambda_c^+$ baryons that differs significantly from those measured previously for charmed mesons. Comparing with a number of models, we find none that can describe the distribution completely. We measure an average scaled momentum of $\left< x_p \right> = 0.574\pm$0.009 and a total rate of $N_{\Lambda c}^{q\bar{q}} = 0.057\pm$0.002(exp.)$\pm$0.015(BF) $\Lambda_c^+$ per hadronic event, where the experimental error is much smaller than that due to the branching fraction into the reconstructed decay mode, $pK^-\pi^+$. In $\Upsilon (4S)$ decays we measure a total rate of $N_{\Lambda c}^{\Upsilon} = 0.091\pm$0.006(exp.)$\pm$0.024(BF) per $\Upsilon(4S)$ decay, and find a much softer momentum distribution than expected from B decays into a $\Lambda_c^+$ plus an antinucleon and one to three pions.

We present a measurement of the total cross section for γγ→hadrons, with one photon quasireal and the other a spacelike photon of mass squared −Q2. Results are presented as a function of Q2 and the γγ center-of-mass energy W, with the Q2 range extending from 0.2 to 60 GeV2, and W in the range from 2 to 10 GeV. The data were taken with the TPC/Two-Gamma facility at the SLAC e+e− storage ring PEP, which was operated at a beam energy of 14.5 GeV. The cross section exhibits a gentle falloff with increasing W. Its Q2 dependence is shown to be well described by an incoherent sum of vector-meson and pointlike scattering over most of the observed W range. Agreement at high Q2 is improved if a minimum-pT cutoff (motivated by QCD) is imposed on the pointlike contribution.

The asymmetries in forward π−N, π−Δ, and K+−(Λ+Σ) photoproduction have been measured with a 16-GeV linearly polarized beam. The experimental method and the procedures for extracting cross sections and asymmetries from the data are discussed in detail. Information on the energy and momentum-transfer dependence of cross sections for natural- and unnatural-parity exchange, interference between exchanges of opposite G parity, and vector-meson dominance is obtained and discussed.

The inclusive production of Ξ − and Ξ ∗0 (1530) is investigated in K − p interactions at 10 and 16 GeV/ c . The inclusive production cross sections are 172 ± 20 μ b and 135 ± 15 μ b for the Ξ − , and 43 ± 7 μ b and 32 ± 5 μ b for the Ξ ∗0 (1530) at 10 and 16 GeV /c , respectively. In the beam momentum range up to 16 GeV/ c , the energy dependence of the cross section for Ξ − production in K − p interactions is similar to Σ − production in π − p interactions. It is, instead, different from the energy behaviour of Σ − production cross sections observed in π − p interactions. The Ξ − and Ξ ∗0 (1530) are both produced more in the forward ( x > 0) than in the backward hemisphere, indicating the presence of hyperon-exchange processes.

A strong negative transverse polarization P z is found for forward produced lambdas observed in 10 and 16 GeV/ c K − p interactions. This indicates that exchanges of natural spin-parity are dominant in the production process. Using the polarization results, the d σ d u′ distributions for natural and unnatural spin-parity exchanges are derived. For unnatural exchanges, a dip is observed at u ′≅0.3 GeV 2 , which can be explained as a nonsense-wrong-signature zero of the N β trajectory. The value of P z for forward producted lambdas is constant with energy. This is in agreement with the triple-Regge model prediction, as is the fact that P z is constant as a function of M 2 s . The two non-transverse polarization components, P x and P y , have been measured and are found to be consistent with zero for all x values, unlike P z .

Using a 16-GeV linearly polarized photon beam, we have measured asymmetries in the process γN→K+(Λ+Σ) from hydrogen and deuterium, for square of four-momentum transfer, t, between -0.01 and -0.8 (GeV/c)2. The data show that for −t≳0.1 (GeV/c)2, the cross sections for γp→K+Λ, γp→K+Σ0, and γn→K+Σ− are strongly dominated by natural-parity exchange, as is the case in single-pion photoproduction.