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 ratio of π+p to pp elastic scattering is found to be smoothly varying over the range −t=0.03 to 0.4 GeV2. It is well fitted by a single exponential, indicating the forward behavior must be quite similar for the two reactions.
The differential cross sections for the elastic scattering of π+, π−, K+, K−, p, and p¯ on protons have been measured in the t interval -0.04 to -0.75 GeV2 at five momenta: 50, 70, 100, 140, and 175 GeV/c. The t distributions have been parametrized by the quadratic exponential form dσdt=Aexp(B|t|+C|t|2) and the energy dependence has been described in terms of a single-pole Regge model. The pp and K+p diffraction peaks are found to shrink with α′∼0.20 and ∼0.15 GeV−2, respectively. The p¯p diffraction peak is antishrinking while π±p and K−p are relatively energy-independent. Total elastic cross sections are calculated by integrating the differential cross sections. The rapid decline in σel observed at low energies has stopped and all six reactions approach relatively constant values of σel. The ratio of σelσtot approaches a constant value for all six reactions by 100 GeV, consistent with the predictions of the geometric-scaling hypothesis. This ratio is ∼0.18 for pp and p¯p, and ∼0.12-0.14 for π±p and K±p. A crossover is observed between K+p and K−p scattering at |t|∼0.19 GeV2, and between pp and p¯p at |t|∼0.11 GeV2. Inversion of the cross sections into impact-parameter space shows that protons are quite transparent to mesons even in head-on collisions. The probability for a meson to pass through a proton head-on without interaction inelastically is ∼20% while it is only ∼6% for an incident proton or antiproton. Finally, the results are compared with various quark-model predictions.
The yields and average transverse momenta of pions, kaons, and antiprotons produced at the Fermilab p¯p collider at s=300, 540, 1000, and 1800 GeV are presented and compared with data from the energies reached at the CERN collider. We also present data on the dependence of average transverse momentum 〈pt〉 and particle ratios as a function of charged particle density dNcdη; data for particle densities as high as six times the average value, corresponding to a Bjorken energy density 6 GeV/fm3, are reported. These data are relevant to the search for quark-gluon phase of QCD.
In an exposure of the Argonne National Laboratory 12-foot hydrogen bubble chamber to a beam of 12.4-GeV/c protons, we have measured the total and differential cross sections for the inclusive reactions p+p→γ+X, π0+X, K0+X, and Λ+X, as well as estimates for the inclusive η and Σ0 cross sections. We present the average number of π0, K0, and Λ as a function of the associated charge multiplicity. We observe that the average charge multiplicity in pp collisions is the same whether or not a π0, K0, or Λ is also produced in the interaction. Invariant cross sections are presented as a function of PT2 and x, the Feynman scaling variable. The π0 differential cross sections are consistent with the relation dσdP(π0)=12[dσdP(π+)+dσdP(π−)] for all pion momenta P. The differential cross section for Λ production indicates a break in the distribution of |t−tmin|=1.4 (GeV/c)2. The polarization of the Λ's is found to be consistent with zero for all values of x.
Evidence of anomalous WW and WZ production was sought in pbar{p} collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV. The final states $WW (WZ) to mu-nu-jet-jet + X, WZ to mu-nu-e-e + X and WZ to e-nu-e-e + X were studied using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 90 pb-1. No evidence of anomalous diboson production was found. Limits were set on anomalous WWgamma and WWZ couplings and were combined with our previous results. The combined 95% confidence level anomalous coupling limits for Lambda=2 TeV are -0.25 LE Delta-kappa LE 0.39 (lambda=0) and -0.18 LE lambda LE 0.19 (Delta \kappa = 0), assuming the WWgamma couplings are equal to the WWZ couplings.
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