The two-photon production of the η meson has been observed, and a value has been determined for the two-photon η decay width by a measurement of the cross section σ(e+e−→e+e−η) where η→γγ. The measurement was made with the TPC/Two-Gamma facility at the SLAC e+e− collider PEP, with an accumulated data sample of 64.5 pb−1. The η→γγ events were both triggered and detected by the pole-tip calorimeter. The measured two-photon η decay width is Γη→γγ=0.64±0.14 (statistical) ±0.13 (systematic) keV, in agreement with earlier similarly determined values.
We report a measurement of the reaction γγ→K+K−π+π− in both tagged and untagged events at PEP. The cross section rises with invariant γγ mass to about 15 nb at 2 GeV and falls slowly at higher masses. We find clear evidence for the processes γγ→φπ+π− and γγ→K*0(892)Kπ. Upper limits (95% C.L.) of 1.5 and 5.7 nb in the mass range from 1.7 to 3.7 GeV are obtained for φρ0 and K*0K¯*0 production, respectively.
We report cross sections for the process γγ→pp¯ at center-of-mass energies W from 2.0 to 2.8 GeV. These results have been extracted from measurements of e+e−→e+e−pp¯ at an overall center-of-mass energy of 29 GeV, using the TPC/Two-Gamma facility at the SLAC storage ring PEP. Cross sections for the untagged mode [both photons nearly real] are shown to lie well above QCD predictions. Results are also presented for the single-tagged mode [one photon in the range 0.16<Q2<1.6 (GeV/c)2].
We report a measurement of the e+e−→e+e−pp¯π+π− process with the TPC/Two-Gamma facility at the PEP e+e− storage ring at SLAC. Forty-five pp¯π+π− events were identified in data corresponding to an integrated e+e− luminosity of 142 pb−1. The cross section for γγ→pp¯π+π− is given both as a function of the γγ center-of-mass energy Wγγ, with Wγγ between 2.5 and 5.5 GeV, and as a function of the in variant mass squared q2 of one of the photons, with −q2<7 GeV2. This cross section falls much less rapidly with Wγγ than does the cross section for a similar process, γγ→pp¯. No Δ0Δ¯0 production is observed, and only a small fraction of the events at low Wγγ is consistent with γγ→Δ++Δ¯−−, Δ++p¯π−, or Δ¯−−pπ+. In an expanded search through the same data, four events compatible with either ΛΛ¯(Λ→pπ−) or Σ0Λ¯(Σ0→Λγ) production were found.
Production of proton-antiproton pairs by two-photon scattering has been observed at the electron-position storage ring PETRA. A total of eight proton-antiproton pairs have been identified using the time-of-flight technique. We have measured a total cross section of 4.5 ± 0.8 nb in the photon-photon c.m. energy range 2.0–2.6 GeV.
Exclusive production of π and K meson pairs in two photon collisions is measured with ALEPH data collected between 1992 and 2000. Cross-sections are presented as a function of cos θ ∗ and invariant mass, for | cos θ ∗ |<0.6 and invariant masses between 2.0 and 6.0 GeV/ c 2 (2.25 and 4.0 GeV/ c 2 ) for pions (kaons). The shape of the distributions are found to be well described by QCD predictions but the data have a significantly higher normalization.
The TPC/Two-Gamma Collaboration has measured the inclusive cross section for production of charmed D ∗± mesons in photon-photon collisions. The reaction utilized was e + e - →e + e - D ∗± X, with D ∗± →D O π +- , D O →K -+ π ± , and either zero or one outgoing e ± detected. The result, σ(e + e - → e + e - D ∗± X) = 74±26±19 pb , is in agreement with the quark parton mo del prediction for e + e - → e + e - c c , combined with a Lund model for the hadronization of the charmed quarks.
The cross section of charm production in γγ collisions σ(e + e − →e + e − c c ̄ X) is measured at LEP with the L3 detector at centre-of-mass energies from 91 GeV to 183 GeV. Charmed hadrons are identified by electrons and muons from semileptonic decays. The direct process γγ→c c ̄ is found to be insufficient to describe the data. The measured cross section values and event distributions require contributions from resolved processes, which are sensitive to the gluon density in the photon.
The inclusive production of D*+- mesons in photon-photon collisions has been measured using the OPAL detector at LEP at e+e- centre-of-mass energies of 183 and 189GeV. The D* mesons are reconstructed in their decay to D0pi+ with the D0 observed in the two decay modes Kpi+ and Kpi+pi-pi+. After background subtraction, 100.4+-12.6(stat) D*+- mesons have been selected in events without observed scattered beam electron ("anti-tagged") and 29.8+-5.9 (stat) D*+- mesons in events where one beam electron is scattered into the detector ("single-tagged"). Direct and single-resolved events are studied separately. Differential cross-sections as functions of the D* transverse momentum p_t and pseudorapidity \eta are presented in the kinematic region 2<p_t<12GeV and \eta<1.5. They are compared to next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD calculations. The total cross-section for the process (e+e- to e+e-ccbar), where the charm quarks are produced in the collision of two quasi-real photons, is measured to be 842+-97(stat)+-75(syst)+-196(extrapolation)pb. A first measurement of the charm structure function F2 of the photon is performed in the kinematic range 0.0014<x<0.87 and 5<Q^2<100 GeV^2, and the result is compared to a NLO perturbative QCD calculation.
We report a photon-photon experiment performed at the Orsay storage rings. 300e + e − , μ + μ − and π + π − pairs produced with low invariant masses have been observed. For each event, one or both protons have been tagged at a very small angle. The γγ→μ + μ − and γγ→π + π − cross-sections have been measured near threshold, the γγ→e + e − process being used as a normalization. The observed invariant mass distribution is compared to theoretical calculations for each of the three processes. The μ + μ − data are in good agreement with QED predictions. The π + π − cross-section, in our experimental acceptance, is somewhat larger than the one expected from the Born terms only.