The production of neutrons carrying at least 20% of the proton beam energy ($\xl > 0.2$) in $e^+p$ collisions has been studied with the ZEUS detector at HERA for a wide range of $Q^2$, the photon virtuality, from photoproduction to deep inelastic scattering. The neutron-tagged cross section, $e p\to e' X n$, is measured relative to the inclusive cross section, $e p\to e' X$, thereby reducing the systematic uncertainties. For $\xl >$ 0.3, the rate of neutrons in photoproduction is about half of that measured in hadroproduction, which constitutes a clear breaking of factorisation. There is about a 20% rise in the neutron rate between photoproduction and deep inelastic scattering, which may be attributed to absorptive rescattering in the $\gamma p$ system. For $0.64 < \xl < 0.82$, the rate of neutrons is almost independent of the Bjorken scaling variable $x$ and $Q^2$. However, at lower and higher $\xl$ values, there is a clear but weak dependence on these variables, thus demonstrating the breaking of limiting fragmentation. The neutron-tagged structure function, ${{F}^{\rm\tiny LN(3)}_2}(x,Q^2,\xl)$, rises at low values of $x$ in a way similar to that of the inclusive \ff of the proton. The total $\gamma \pi$ cross section and the structure function of the pion, $F^{\pi}_2(x_\pi,Q^2)$ where $x_\pi = x/(1-\xl)$, have been determined using a one-pion-exchange model, up to uncertainties in the normalisation due to the poorly understood pion flux. At fixed $Q^2$, $F^{\pi}_2$ has approximately the same $x$ dependence as $F_2$ of the proton.
Data on the mean multiplicity ofπ- produced in minimum bias proton-proton, proton-neutron and proton-nucleus interactions as well as central nucleus-nucleus collisions at momenta of 1.4–400 GeV/c per nucleon have been compiled and studied. The results for neutron-neutron and nucleon-nucleon interactions were then constructed. The dependence of the mean pion multiplicity in proton-nucleus interactions and central collisions of identical nuclei are studied as a function of the collision energy and the nucleus mass number. The number of produced pions per participant nucleon in central collisions of identical nuclei is found to be independent of the number of participants at a fixed incident momentum per nucleon. The mean multiplicity of negatively charged hadrons per participant nucleon for central nucleus-nucleus collisions is lower by about 0.12 than the corresponding multiplicity for nucleon-nucleon interactions atpLAB≲15 A·GeV/c, whereas the result at 200 A·GeV/c is above the corresponding nucleon-nucleon multiplicity. This may indicate change of the collision dynamics at high energy.
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A search for excited states of the standard model fermions was performed using the ZEUS detector at the HERA electron-proton collider, operating at a centre of mass energy of 296 GeV. In a sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.55 pb−1, no evidence was found for any resonant state decaying into final states composed of a fermion and a gauge boson. Limits on the coupling strength times branching ratio of excited fermions are presented for masses between 50 GeV and 250 GeV, extending previous search regions significantly.
We report the first observation of charmed mesons with the ZEUS detector at HERA using the decay channel ${\rm D}~{*+}\rightarrow (\Do \rightarrow {\rm K}~-\pi~+)\pi~+$ (+ c.c.). Clear signals in the mass difference $\Delta M$=$M$(D$~*$)--$M$(D$~0)$ as well as in the $M(K\pi)$ distribution at the D$~0$ mass are found. The $ep$ cross section for inclusive \DSpm\ production with $Q~2<4\GeV~2$ in the $\gamma p$ centre-of-mass energy range $115 < W < 275$ \GeV\ has been determined to be $(32 \pm 7~{+4}_{-7} )$ nb in the kinematic region \mbox{\{$p_T(\DS)\geq $ 1.7 \,\GeV, $|\eta(\DS)| < 1.5 $\}}. Ex\-tra\-po\-la\-ting outside this region, assuming a mass of the charm quark of 1.5 \GeV, we estimate the $ep$ charm cross section to be $\sigma(e p \rightarrow c \bar{c}X ) = (0.45 \pm 0.11~{+0.37}_{-0.22}) \, \mu {\rm b} $ at \mbox{$\sqrt{s} = 296$}\GeV\ and $\langle W \rangle = 198$ \GeV. The average $\gamma p$ charm cross section \mbox{$\sigma(\gamma p \rightarrow c \bar{c}X )$} is found to be \mbox{$(6.3 \pm 2.2~{+6.3}_{-3.0}) \, \mu {\rm b} $} at $\langle W \rangle = 163$ \GeV\ and \mbox{$(16.9 \pm 5.2~{+13.9}_{-8.5}) \, \mu {\rm b} $} at $\langle W \rangle = 243$ \GeV. The increase of the total charm photoproduction cross section by one order of magnitude with respect to low energy data experiments is well described by QCD NLO calculations using singular gluon distributions in the proton.
The NA44 Collaboration has measured yields and differential distributions of K+, K-, pi+, pi- in transverse kinetic energy and rapidity, around the center-of-mass rapidity in 158 A GeV/c Pb+Pb collisions at the CERN SPS. A considerable enhancement of K+ production per pi is observed, as compared to p+p collisions at this energy. To illustrate the importance of secondary hadron rescattering as an enhancement mechanism, we compare strangeness production at the SPS and AGS with predictions of the transport model RQMD.
The cross section for K + meson production in collisions of 36 Ar ions on a 48 Ti target has been measured at an incident energy of 92 MeV per nucleon. A description of the experimental set-up is given. Twelve events attributed to monoenergetic muons following the decay of stopped kaons have been identified. From these events, one infers a production cross section of 240 pb. Data are briefly discussed.
Double differential K+cross sections have been measured in p+C collisions at 1.2, 1.5 and 2.5 GeV beam energy and in p+Pb collisions at 1.2 and 1.5 GeV. The K+ spectrum taken at 2.5 GeV can be reproduced quantitatively by a model calculation which takes into account first chance proton-nucleon collisions and internal momentum with energy distribution of nucleons according to the spectral function. At 1.2 and 1.5 GeV beam energy the K+ data excess significantly the model predictions for first chance collisions. When taking secondary processes into account the results of the calculations are in much better agreement with the data.
Inclusive photoproduction of $\dspm$ in ep collisions at HERA has been measured with the ZEUS detector for photon-proton centre of mass energies in the range \linebreak \wrang and photon virtuality Q~2 < 4 \g2. The cross section $\sigma_{ep \to \ds X} $ integrated over the kinematic region \ptrangand \etarang is {\xsecs}. Differential cross sections as functions of $p_{\perp}~{\ds}$, $\eta~{\ds}$ and W are given. The data are compared with two next-to-leading order perturbative QCD predictions. For a calculation using a massive charm scheme the predicted cross sections are smaller than the measured ones. A recent calculation using a massless charm scheme is in agreement with the data.
We have searched for the production of a selectron and a squark in $e^+p$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 300 GeV using the ZEUS detector at HERA. The selectron and squark are sought in the direct decay into the lightest neutralino in the framework of supersymmetric extensions to the Standard Model which conserve R-parity. No evidence for the production of supersymmetric particles has been found in a data sample corresponding to 46.6~pb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity. We express upper limits on the product of the cross section times the decay branching ratios as excluded regions in the parameter space of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model.
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