https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2004-10036-6
Inclusive K+-meson production in proton-nucleus interactions
1
Institut für Kernphysik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany
2
High Energy Physics Department, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, 188350, Gatchina, Russia
3
Institute of Physics, Jagellonian University, Reymonta 4, 30059, Cracow, Poland
4
Institut für Kernphysik, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Str. 77, 50937, Köln, Germany
5
Institut für Kernphysik, Universität Münster, W.-Klemm-Str. 9, 48149, Münster, Germany
6
Institut für Hadronen- und Kernphysik, Forschungszentrum Rossendorf, D-01474, Dresden, Germany
Received:
30
January
2004
Accepted:
28
May
2004
Published online:
17
November
2004
The production of K+-mesons in pA (A = D, C, Cu, Ag, Au) collisions has been investigated at the COoler SYnchrotron COSY-Jülich for beam energies T p = 1.0-2.3 GeV. Double differential inclusive pC cross-sections at forward angles ϑ{K^+} < 12° as well as the target mass dependence of the K+ momentum spectra have been measured with the ANKE spectrometer. Far below the free NN threshold at T NN = 1.58 GeV the spectra reveal a high degree of collectivity in the target nucleus. From the target mass dependence of the cross-sections at higher energies, the repulsive in-medium potential of the K+-mesons can be deduced. Using pN cross-section parameterisations from the literature and our measured pD data we derive a cross-section ratio σ(pn↦K + X)/σ(pp↦K + X) ∼ (3-4).
© Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag, 2004