Data on the mean multiplicity of strange hadrons produced in minimum bias proton--proton and central nucleus--nucleus collisions at momenta between 2.8 and 400 GeV/c per nucleon have been compiled. The multiplicities for nucleon--nucleon interactions were constructed. The ratios of strange particle multiplicity to participant nucleon as well as to pion multiplicity are larger for central nucleus--nucleus collisions than for nucleon--nucleon interactions at all studied energies. The data at AGS energies suggest that the latter ratio saturates with increasing masses of the colliding nuclei. The strangeness to pion multiplicity ratio observed in nucleon--nucleon interactions increases with collision energy in the whole energy range studied. A qualitatively different behaviour is observed for central nucleus--nucleus collisions: the ratio rapidly increases when going from Dubna to AGS energies and changes little between AGS and SPS energies. This change in the behaviour can be related to the increase in the entropy production observed in central nucleus-nucleus collisions at the same energy range. The results are interpreted within a statistical approach. They are consistent with the hypothesis that the Quark Gluon Plasma is created at SPS energies, the critical collision energy being between AGS and SPS energies.
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We have studied inclusive KS0, Λ, and Λ¯ production and strange-resonance production in the reactions pp→(KS0, Λ, or Λ¯)+π±+anything at 405 GeV/c. The observed cross sections are 7.43 ± 0.45 mb for KS0, 4.01 ± 0.35 mb for Λ, and 0.63 ± 0.12 mb for Λ¯. From the analyses of the effective-mass distributions for the (KS0π±), (Λπ±), and (Λ¯π±) systems, the resonance production cross sections are determined as 4.1 ± 1.0 mb for K*+(890), 3.6 ± 1.0 mb for K*−(890), 3.4 ± 1.7 mb for K*±(1420), 0.67 ± 0.12 mb for Σ+(1385), 0.45 ± 0.09 mb for Σ−(1385), and 0.25 ± 0.08 mb for Σ¯±(1385). The inclusive total and differential cross sections are discussed in comparison with data at lower energies. The direct production cross sections for pseudoscalar, vector, and tensor K mesons are estimated to be 2.3 ± 1.2, 3.4 ± 1.0, and 1.7 ± 0.8 mb, respectively. Direct pseudoscalar-K-meson production accounts for less than one-third of the total inclusive kaon production. Evidence of vector-meson dominance in inclusive meson production at high energy is indicated.
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