G. Igo

An update on the strangeness production measurements and H0 di-baryon search as performed by the AGS experiment 896

E896 was designed to search for the predicted short-lived six-quark H0 di-baryon. The goal is to enhance the existing knowledge by extending the search into regions of shorter lifetimes (approximately half that of the lambda) and via exploring a new creation channel, that of the coalescence of two lambdas. Two main tracking chambers are used, a distributed drift chamber positioned to measure low-pt and high-rapidity neutral particle decay products and a silicon drift detector array which measures particle production at mid-rapidity. Both detectors are also investigating lambda polarization, over their respective coverages, for Au-Au collisions at 11.3 GeV/nucleon. The current status of the H0 di-baryon search and preliminary results of the strange particle production and polarization measurements will be presented.

First results from the H0 di-baryon search and hyperon production measurements by the AGS Experiment 896.

Abstract The AGS Experiment 896 was designed to study strangeness production in Au—Au collisions at 11.6A GeV/c, in particular the formation of a six-quark di-baryon the H 0 . Heavy ion collisions provide favorable conditions for the H 0 formation either via coalescence of two Λ particles (owing to the large Λ production cross section) or direct production from the possible formation of a quark-gluon plasma. E896 also measured strange meson and baryon distributions from mid-rapidity. Preliminary results from this experiment are presented as well as details of the expected sensitivity for the H 0 search.

Transverse energy production in Pb208 + Pb collisions at 158 GeV per nucleon

Author(s): Margetis, S.; Alber, T.; Appelshauser, H.; Bachler, J.; Bartke, J.; Bialkowska, H.; Bieser, F.; Bloomer, M.A.; Blyth, C.O.; Bock, R.; Bormann, C.; Brady, F.P.; Brockmann, R.; Buncic, P.; Caines, H.L.; Cebra, D.; Chan, P.; Cooper, G.E.; Cramer, J.G.; Cramer, P.B.; Csato, P.; Derado, I.; Dunn, J.; Eckardt, V.; Eckhardt, F.; Euler, S.; Ferguson, M.I.; Fischer, H.G.; Fodor, Z.; Foka, P.; Freund, P.; Fuchs, M.; Gal, J.; Gasdzicki, M.; Gladysz, E.; Grebieszkow, J.; Gunther, J.; Harris, J.W.; Heck, W.; Hegyi, S.; Hill, L.A.; Huang, I.; Howe, M.A.; Igo, G.; Irmscher, D.; Jacobs, P.; Jones, P.G.; Kadija, K.; Kecskemeti, J.; Kowalski, M.; Kuhmichel, A.; Lsdiuk, B.; Margetis, S.; Mitchell, J.W.; Mock, A.; Nelson, J.M.; Odyniec, G.J.; Palinkas, J.; Palla, G.; Panagiotou, A.D.; Petridis, A.; Piper, A.; Poskanzer, A.M.; Prindle, D.J.; Puhlhofer, F.; Rauch, W.; Renfordt, R.; Retyk, W.; Ritter, Hans G.; Rohrich, D.; Rudolph, H.; Runge, K.; Sandoval, A.; Sann, H.; Schafer, E.; Schmitz, N.; Schonfelder, S.; Seyboth, P.; Seyerlein, J.; Sikler, F.; Skrzypczak, E.; Stock, R.; Stroebele, H.; Szentpetery, I.; Sziklai, J.