A. Sasaki

THE LARGE-ACCEPTANCE SPECTROMETER TAGX FOR PHOTOREACTION STUDIES AT THE 1.3-GEV TOKYO ELECTRON SYNCHROTRON

Abstract The study of photoreactions on light nuclei with the TAGX spectrometer started in 1987 using the 20% duty-cycle tagged-photon beam at the 1.3-GeV Tokyo electron synchrotron. TAGX is comprised of a π-sr magnetic spectrometer for detection of charged pions, kaons, and protons and a 0.85-sr time-of-flight spectrometer for neutrons. It has served in the past eight years as a unique medium-energy-resolution multi-particle spectrometer for coincidence experiments to detect such final states as pn, pp, π + π − , ppn, pp − , and pn π + π − : some of which were kinematically-complete measurements of three-particle and four-particle final states. Details of the detector components, their performance, data acquisition, event reconstruction analyses, and detector-acceptance calculations are described together with the results of experience acquired in those experiments. A TAGX improvement in the momentum resolution required for charged particle measurements in the 1-GeV photon energy region is also reported.

In-medium rho0 spectral function study via the H-2, He-3, C-12(gamma,pi+ pi-) reaction

We report a helicity analysis of sub-threshold rho^0 production on 2H, 3He and 12C at low photo-production energies. The results are indicative of a large longitudinal rho^0 polarization (l=1, m=0) and are consistent with a strong helicity-flip production mechanism. This signature is used to extract in-medium rho^0_L invariant mass distributions for all three nuclei in a manner which is less model-dependent than previous measurements. The results are compared to kinematic and phenomenological models of the rho^0 spectral function. The 2H and 3He data distributions support the role of N*(1520) excitation in shaping the in-medium rho^0_L invariant mass distribution, while the 12C distributions are consistent with quasi-free rho^0_L production. The data support an in-medium modification of the rho^0_L invariant mass distribution.

Photo-production of neutral kaons on 12C in the threshold region

Abstract The kaon photo-production process on 12C has been studied by measuring neutral kaons in the photon energy range of 0.8–1.1 GeV. Neutral kaons were identified by the invariant mass constructed from two charged pions emitted in the K S 0 → π + π − decay channel. The differential and integrated cross sections in the threshold photon energy region were obtained. The obtained momentum spectra were compared with a Spectator model calculation using elementary amplitudes of kaon photo-production given by recent isobar models. The present results provide the first information on the n ( γ , K 0 ) Λ reaction, which is expected to play an important role in constructing models of strangeness production by electromagnetic interactions. The experimental results show that the cross section of C 12 ( γ , K 0 ) is of the same order as that of C 12 ( γ , K + ) and suggest that a slightly backward K 0 angular distribution is favored in the γ n → K 0 Λ process.

Measurement of the 4He (γ, npp) n reaction in the Δ-resonance region

Abstract This is the first kinematically complete measurement of the 4He(γ, npp)n reaction in the energy range of 135–455 MeV. The ordered-momentum spectra and the double-differential cross sections are compared with the calculations which assume that photons are absorbed either on two- (np or pp), three- (npp), or four-nucleon systems. The ordered-momentum spectra below 400 MeV are reproduced well by pp and/or npp absorption but not by np absorption only.

A honeycomb sandwich structure vacuum jacket for cryogenic targets

Abstract Cryogenic targets (H 2 , D 2 and 4 He) have been built for use in the study of photonuclear reactions with a π sr spectrometer, TAGX, at the 1.3 GeV Tokyo electron synchrotron. A new type of vacuum jacket, fabricated from plastic honeycomb core and Mylar skins, has been used in the target system for more than 5000 hours. The average radiation thickness and the average density of this jacket are measured to be 3.3 × 10 −3 X 0 and 0.15 g/cm 3 , respectively.

The total cross section for the 4He (γ, npp)n reaction in the Δ-resonance region

Abstract This is the first measurement of the total cross section σ( 4 He (γ npp)n) in the range of 135–455 MeV. The σ, which cannot be reproduced by any model, has similar E γ dependence to γ T (γ 4 He → all channels). The averaged ratio σ( 4 He(γ, npp)n)/ σ T (γ 4 He → all channels) = (2.3 ± 0.3)% is compared with a cascade-model calculation in which quasi-free pion production followed by pion reabsorption is assumed.

Probing theΔNNcomponent of3He

The 3He(gamma,pi^+/- p) reactions were measured simultaneously over a tagged photon energy range of 800<E_gamma<1120 MeV, well above the Delta resonance region. An analysis was performed to kinematically isolate Delta knockout events from conventional Delta photoproduction events, and a statistically significant excess of pi+p events was identified, consistent with Delta++ knockout. Two methods were used to estimate the DeltaNN probability in the 3He ground state, corresponding to the observed knockout cross section. The first gave a lower probability limit of 1.5+/-0.6+/-0.5%; the second yielded an upper limit of about 2.6%.

Subthreshold rho^0 photoproduction on 3He

A large reduction of the rho^0 mass in the nuclear medium is reported, inferred from dipion photoproduction spectra in the 1 GeV region, for the reaction 3He(gamma,pi+ pi-)X with a 10% duty factor tagged-photon beam and the TAGX multi-particle spectrometer. The energy range covered (800 < E(gamma) < 1120 MeV) lies mostly below the free rho^0 production threshold, a region which is believed sensitive to modifications of light vector-meson properties at nuclear-matter densities. The rho^0 masses extracted from the MC fitting of the data, m*(rho^0) = 642 +/- 40, 669 +/- 32, and 682 +/- 56 MeV/c^2 for E(gamma) in the 800-880, 880-960, and 960-1040 MeV regions respectively, are independently corroborated by a measured, assumption-free, kinematical observable. This mass shift, far exceeding current mean-field driven theoretical predictions, may be suggestive of rho^0 decay within the range of the nucleonic field.

A step-like rise in the 4He(γ,pn)2H cross section near the pion-production threshold

Abstract A kinematically complete 4He(γ,pn)2H measurement was carried out in the photon energy (Eγ) range 145–425 MeV. The total cross section (σα) forms a prominent structure whose peak lies at Eγ ∼ 245 MeV (the pnd invariant mass of 3960 MeV/c2). The ratio σ α σ d , where σd is the deuteron photodisintegration cross section, shows a step-like rise to a value of 6 at Eγ ∼ 140 MeV.

Simultaneous measurement of 3He(γ, pπ±) yields and model implications

Abstract 3 He(γ, pπ ± ) reactions are simultaneously measured for tagged photon energies of 380 ⩽ Eγ ⩽ 700 MeV. The yield ratio for the two channels, under the same kinematical and dynamical conditions, is found to be 0.90±0.07. Implications of this ratio in terms of the delta component in the ground state of 3He are examined. An alternate interpretation of this ratio as due to an admixture of isospin T = 1 2 and 3 2 transition amplitudes in a pure isovector interaction is also presented.