A study is presented of the process gamma p -->XY, where there is a large rapidity gap between the systems X and Y. Measurements are made of the differential cross section as a function of the invariant mass mx of the system produced at the photon vertex. Results are presented at centre of mass energies of W_gp = 187 GeV and W_gp = 231 GeV, both where the proton dominantly remains intact and, for the first time, where it dissociates. Both the centre of mass energy and the mx~2 dependence of HERA data and those from a fixed target experiment may simultaneously be described in a triple-Regge model. The low mass photon dissociation process is found to be dominated by diffraction, though a sizable subleading contribution is present at larger masses. The pomeron intercept is extracted and found to be alpha_pom(0) = 1.068 \pm 0.016 (stat.) \pm 0.022 (syst.) \pm 0.041 (model), in good agreement with values obtained from total and elastic hadronic and photoproduction cross sections. The diffractive contribution to the process gamma p --> Xp with mx~2 / W_gp~2 < 0.05 is measured to be 22.2 \pm 0.6 (stat.) \pm 2.6 (syst.) \pm 1.7 (model) % of the total gamma p cross section at W_gp = 187 GeV.
Data for proton remaining intact.
Data for proton dissociating.
The reaction K + p → p + X is studied at a beam momentum of 16 GeV/ c using the events where a slow proton with momentum p lab < 1.2 GeV/ c is identified by its bubble density. The inclusive spectra presented and compared with those obtained in K + p interactions at 32 GeV/ c and K − p interactions at 14.3 GeV/ c . The prominent features associated with a triple-Regge formula are found to be consistent with the data. It is shown that the Δ ++ (1236) production strongly affects the shape of the inclusive spectra and the results of the triple-Regge fit. After removal of events associated with Δ ++ (1236) production, the data are consistent with the dominance of an ffR coupling.
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