The NA61/SHINE experiment at the CERN SPS is performing a uniqe study of the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter by varying collision energy and nuclear mass number of colliding nuclei. In central Pb+Pb collisions the NA49 experiment found structures in the energy dependence of several observables in the CERN SPS energy range that had been predicted for the transition to a deconfined phase. New measurements of NA61/SHINE find intriguing similarities in p+p interactions for which no deconfinement transition is expected at SPS energies. Possible implications will be discussed.
Results on $\phi$ meson production in inelastic p+p collisions at CERN SPS energies are presented. They are derived from data collected by the NA61/SHINE fixed target experiment, by means of invariant mass spectra fits in the $\phi \to K^+K^-$ decay channel. They include the first ever measured double differential spectra of $\phi$ mesons as a function of rapidity $y$ and transverse momentum $p_T$ for proton beam momenta of 80 GeV/c and 158 GeV/c, as well as single differential spectra of $y$ or $p_T$ for beam momentum of 40 GeV/c. The corresponding total $\phi$ yields per inelastic p+p event are obtained. These results are compared with existing data on $\phi$ meson production in p+p collisions. The comparison shows consistency but superior accuracy of the present measurements. The emission of $\phi$ mesons in p+p reactions is confronted with that occurring in Pb+Pb collisions, and the experimental results are compared with model predictions. It appears that none of the considered models can properly describe all the experimental observables.
Results on two-particle $\Delta\eta\Delta\phi$ correlations in inelastic p+p interactions at 20, 31, 40, 80, and 158~GeV/c are presented. The measurements were performed using the large acceptance NA61/SHINE hadron spectrometer at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron. The data show structures which can be attributed mainly to effects of resonance decays, momentum conservation, and quantum statistics. The results are compared with the EPOS and UrQMD models.
Measurements of inclusive spectra and mean multiplicities of $\pi^\pm$, K$^\pm$, p and $\bar{\textrm{p}}$ produced in inelastic p+p interactions at incident projectile momenta of 20, 31, 40, 80 and 158 GeV/c ($\sqrt{s} = $ 6.3, 7.7, 8.8, 12.3 and 17.3 GeV, respectively) were performed at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron using the large acceptance NA61/SHINE hadron spectrometer. Spectra are presented as function of rapidity and transverse momentum and are compared to predictions of current models. The measurements serve as the baseline in the NA61/SHINE study of the properties of the onset of deconfinement and search for the critical point of strongly interacting matter.
The inclusive and semi-inclusive cross sections for K*±(890) and Σ±(1385) resonances are determined in p¯p interactions at 14.75 GeV/c. They account for a large fraction of the KS0 and Λ0 produced. The K*-resonance production also affects the low-pT2 distribution of inclusive KS0. The x distributions of the resonance production are studied in terms of a simple quark-recombination model.
The reaction K−p→K¯0π−p has been studied at 100 and 175 GeV/c and the reaction π−p→K0K−p at 50, 100, and 175 GeV/c. Both reactions are dominated by production of resonances, K*(890), K*(1430) and A2(1320), A2(2040), respectively. Production cross sections, t distributions, and decay-angular distributions are studied. Isoscalar natural-parity exchange is dominant. The energy dependence of the K* and A2 resonance production between 10 and 175 GeV/c is well described by a Regge-pole model. Our data on A2 corrects that in an earlier paper.
The reaction π−p→K0K−p has been measured from 50 to 175 GeV/c. The production characteristics of the A2 have been analyzed. We find spin and t dependence similar to lower energies, but the cross section falls rapidly with energy. In a Regge description of π−p→A2−p our data imply a rather small Pomeron-exchange component.
We present the results of a search for neutral Higgs bosons produced in association with $b$ quarks in $p\bar{p}\to b\bar{b} \phi\to b\bar{b}b\bar{b}$ final states with $91 \pm 7$ pb$^{-1}$ of $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=1.8$ TeV recorded by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. We find no evidence of such a signal and the data is interpreted in the context of the neutral Higgs sector of the Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model. With basic parameter choices for the supersymmetric scale and the stop quark mixing, we derive 95% C.L. lower mass limits for neutral Higgs bosons for $\tb$ values in excess of 35.
We have measured the pT distribution of top quarks that are pair produced in pp¯ collisions at s=1.8TeV using a sample of tt¯ decays in which we observe a single high- pT charged lepton, a neutrino, and four or more jets. We use a likelihood technique that corrects for the experimental bias introduced due to event reconstruction and detector resolution effects. The observed distribution is consistent with the standard model prediction. We use these data to place limits on the production of high- pT top quarks suggested in some models of anomalous top quark pair production.
We present results of searches for diphoton resonances produced both inclusively and also in association with a vector boson (W or Z) using 100 $pb^{-1}$ of $p\bar{p}$ collisions using the CDF detector. We set upper limits on the product of cross section times branching ratio for both $p\bar{p} \to \gamma \gamma + X$ and $p \bar{p} \to \gamma \gamma + W/Z$. Comparing the inclusive production to the expectations from heavy sgoldstinos we derive limits on the supersymmetry-breaking scale $\sqrt{F}$ in the TeV range, depending on the sgoldstino mass and the choice of other parameters. Also, using a NLO prediction for the associated production of a Higgs boson with a W or Z boson, we set an upper limit on the branching ratio for $H \to \gamma \gamma$. Finally, we set a lower limit on the mass of a 'bosophilic' Higgs boson (e.g. one which couples only to $\gamma, W,$ and $Z$ bosons with standard model couplings) of 82 GeV/$c^2$ at 95% confidence level.
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