Cross-sections for diffractive particle production and pseudorapidity distributions of the decay products of diffractive states are presented. The data were obtained with the UA 5 streamer chamber detector at the CERNpp Collider operated in a new pulsed mode yieldingpp interactions at c.m. energies of 900 and 200 GeV. Data recorded with a special trigger designed to select a sample of events enriched in single-diffractive interactions clearly favour apt-limited fragmentation of diffractive states. The cross-section for single-diffractive particle production ϊ was found to be 7.8±0.5±1.1 mb at 900 GeV and 4.8±0.5±0.8 mb at 200 GeV (first error statistical, second systematic). From the pseudorapidity distribution of diffractive states we deduce the average number of charged particles to be 6.5±1.0 at 900 GeV and 4.1±1.1 at 200 GeV. Furthermore we report on our estimates for the cross-section of double-diffractive particle production at both Collider energies.
Single diffractive cross sections.
We report a measurement of the diffraction dissociation differential cross section d2σSD/dM2dt for p¯p→p¯X at √s =546 and 1800 GeV, M2/s<0.2 and 0≤-t≤0.4 GeV2. Our results are compared to theoretical predictions and to extrapolations from experimental results at lower energies.
Single diffraction dissociation cross section.
Using the UA5 detector, the inclusive central production of Ks<sup loc="post">0</sup> and K<sup loc="post">±</sup> mesons has been measured in non-single-diffractive interactions at the CERN SPS <math altimg="si1.gif"><ovl type="bar" style="s">p</ovl>p</math> Collider at a c.m. energy of 540 GeV. The average transverse momentum is found to be 〈pT〉 = 0.57±0.03 GeV/c in the rapidity range |y|<2.5, which is an increase of about 30% over the top ISR energy. The K/π ratio has increased from about 8% at ISR energies to 9.5±0.9±0.7% (the last error is systematic) at 540 GeV. The average number of Ks<sup loc="post">0</sup> per non-single-diffractive event is 1.1±0.1 and the inclusive inelastic cross section is estimated at 49±5 mb.
NON SINGLE DIFFRACTION CROSS SECTION.