We report results from a study of Λ0 polarization in the exclusive reaction pp→pf(Λ0K+) at 800−GeV/c. We observe a dependence of the polarization on the Λ0K+ invariant mass with large (+71%) positive polarization at small mass (1.63−GeV/c2) and large (−43%) negative polarization at large mass (2.75−GeV/c2). This observation confirms the result of the CERN ISR R608 experiment and extends the range over which the effect is observed. The strong dependence of the polarization on the Λ0K+ invariant mass suggests that the origin of the polarization is closely related to the production dynamics of the diffractively produced Λ0K+ system.
The considerable polarization of hyperons produced at high xF has been known for a long time and has been interpreted with various theoretical models in terms of the constituents' spin. Recently, the analyzing power in inclusive Λ0 hyperon production has also been measured using the 200GeV/c Fermilab polarized proton beam. The covered kinematic range is 0.2≤xF≤1.0 and 0.1≤pT≤1.5GeV/c. The data indicate a negative asymmetry at large xF and moderate pT. These results can further test the current ideas on the underlying mechanisms for hyperon polarization.
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