Inclusive π 0 and η production at large transverse momentum were studied in both p̄p and pp interactions at √ s = 24.3 GeV. The experiment was performed using an internal molecular hydrogen gas jet target in the CERN SPS collider. No significant differences between production in p̄p and pp were observed in the transverse momentum range 2.5 < P T < 5.1 GeV/ c .
The NA24 experiment at CERN investigated inclusive γγ, π0π0, and γπ0 final states in the mass range between 4 and 9 GeV/c2 produced in π−p, π+p, and pp reactions at a c.m.-system energy s=23.7 GeV. The π0π0 cross sections agree well with expectations of the quark-parton model. For γπ0 production in π−p and pp reactions, a clear signal is observed and cross sections are shown. The production of γγ events was observed with a statistical significance of 2.9σ in π−p reactions. The cross section is in agreement with a higher-order QCD prediction.
The ratios of K+, K−, p, and p¯ yields to pion yields at transverse momenta (p⊥) ranging from 0.77 to 6.91 GeV/c arepresented for 200-, 300-, and 400-GeV p−p and 400-GeV p−d collisions. The dependences of the particle ratios on p⊥ and the scaling variable x⊥=2p⊥s are discussed.
Direct photon production cross sections obtained in high statistics p ̄ p and pp collisions at s =24.3 GeV at the CERN SPS are used in a next-to-leading order QCD analysis. From the cross section difference σ( p ̄ p → γX)−σ(pp → γX) and quark distributions measured in deep inelastic scattering, a determination of the strong coupling constant, α s , is performed via a measurement of Λ (4) MS . This measurement yields a value Λ (4) MS = 210±22 ( stat. )±44 ( syst. ) +105 −36 ( theo. ) MeV. The corresponding value of α s expressed at M 2 Z is α s (M 2 Z )=0.1112 ±0.0016 ( stat. ) ±0.0033 ( syst. ) +0.0077 −0.0034 ( theo. ) .
Results of high-transverse-momentum charged-hadron production in 400-GeV/c proton-proton and proton-deuteron collisions and 800-GeV/c proton-proton collisions are presented. The transverse-momentum range of the data is from 5.2 to 9.0 GeV/c for the 400-GeV/c collisions and from 3.6 to 11.0 GeV/c for the 800-GeV/c collisions; the data are centered around 90° in the proton-nucleon center-of-momentum system. Single-pion invariant cross sections and particle ratios were measured at both energies. The results are compared to previous experiments and the Lund model.
We have measured the production of π+ and π− in 200-, 300-, and 400-GeV p−p and 400-GeV p−d collisions for transverse momenta (p⊥) ranging from 0.77 to 7.67 GeV/c. At large values of x⊥=2p⊥s, where s is the c.m. energy, we have fitted the p−p data to the form A(1−x⊥)bp⊥−n; we obtain n=8.2±0.5 for π+ and 8.5±0.5 for π−. At x⊥>0.3 the π+π− ratio in p−p collisions rises appreciably with increasing x⊥ whereas the π+π− ratio obtained from the difference of p−d and p−p cross sections is ∼ 1.0 at all x⊥.
Measurements of the cross section for the production of electron pairs with invariant masses between 4 and 8.7 GeV are presented as a function of the centre-of-mass energy ( s = 28 to s = 62 GeV ) of the colliding proton beams. A significant excess of events is observed in the region 8.7 to 10.3 GeV; these are ascribed to the ϒ(9.5 GeV) resonances and estimates of the production cross sections are given.
Cross sections for inclusive direct photon production in π−p, π+p, and pp collisions at 300 GeV/c are measured at transverse momenta pT up to 7 GeV/c (xT=0.6). For π−p→γX also the rapidity distribution is presented. The cross-section ratio σ(π−p→γX)/σ(π+p→γX) is found to be 1 at pT=4 GeV/c and rises with increasing pT. This observation signals the occurrence of valence-quark–antiquark annihilation. The results are in good agreement with QCD predictions.
Cross sections for inclusive π0 production at large transverse momentum pT were measured in π−p, π+p, and pp collisions at 300 GeV/c. The cross-section ratio σ(π−p→π0X)/σ(π+p→π0X) was found to be consistent with unity in the pT region of 1 to 5 GeV/c. The cross-section ratio σ(π+p→π0X)/σ(pp→π0X) however is growing with increasing pT and increasing π0 c.m.-system rapidity in agreement with parton-model expectations, where the partons in the pions have on average higher momenta than in the proton.
The inclusive cross section times branching ratio for J/ψ→e + e − has been measured in the forward region in the UA6 experiment for p p and pp collisions at √ s = 24.3 GeV. The ratio of the pp to p p cross sections is found to be 0.76 ± 0.14 ± 0.06. This demonstrates that gluon-gluon fusion dominates over quark-antiquark annihilation in the formation of the c c state.