J. Schacher

Determination of

The DIRAC experiment at CERN has achieved a sizeable production of + atoms and has significantly improved the precision on its lifetime determination. From a sample of 21227 atomic pairs, a 4% measurement of the S-wave scattering length di erence ja0 a2j = 0:2533 +0:0080 0:0078 stat

\pi\pi

Abstract We investigate antinuclei production in Pb + Pb interactions at 158 GeV/ c per nucleon at zero degree production angle. We quote invariant differential production cross sections for antiprotons and antideuterons. The corresponding antideuteron to antiproton ratio at midrapidity is 4.2 · 10 −4 . One antihelium-3 nucleus was observed. The results are discussed in the framework of a simple coalescence model.

scattering lengths from measurement of

Abstract We report on baryon and antibaryon as well as K+ and K− production cross sections measured in lead-lead collisions at 158 GeV /c per nucleon. The presented data were taken at zero degree production angle with a minimum bias trigger. The measurements covered a wide range of rapidity 1.4

\pi^+\pi^-

Abstract We searched for long-lived strange quark matter particles, so-called strangelets , and studied particle and antiparticle production in Pb + Pb collisions at 158 GeV/ c per nucleon at zero degree production angle. We give upper limits for the production of strangelets covering a mass to charge ratio up to 120 GeV/ c 2 and lifetimes t lab > 1.2 μ s and plot invariant differential production cross sections as a function of rapidity for a variety of particles.

atom lifetime

Abstract We present evidence for the first observation of electromagnetically bound π ± K ∓ -pairs (πK-atoms) with the DIRAC experiment at the CERN-PS. The πK-atoms are produced by the 24 GeV / c proton beam in a thin Pt-target and the π ± and K ∓ -mesons from the atom dissociation are analyzed in a two-arm magnetic spectrometer. The observed enhancement at low relative momentum corresponds to the production of 173 ± 54 πK-atoms. The mean life of πK-atoms is related to the s-wave πK-scattering lengths, the measurement of which is the goal of the experiment. From these first data we derive a lower limit for the mean life of 0.8 fs at 90% confidence level.

Antinuclei production in Pb + Pb collisions at 158 A GeV/c

The results of a search for hydrogen-like atoms consisting of π∓K±π∓K± mesons are presented. Evidence for πK atom production by 24 GeV/c protons from CERN PS interacting with a nickel target has been seen in terms of characteristic πK pairs from their breakup in the same target (178±49178±49) as well as in terms of produced πK atoms (653±42653±42). Using these results, the analysis yields a first value for the πK atom lifetime of View the MathML sourceτ=(2.5−1.8+3.0) fs and a first measurement of the S-wave isospin-odd πK scattering length View the MathML source|a0−|=13|a1/2−a3/2|=(0.11−0.04+0.09)Mπ−1 (aIaI for isospin I).

Baryon and antibaryon production in lead-lead collisions at 158 A GeV/c

Abstract Besides the dedicated search for strangelets NA52 measures light (anti)particle and (anti)nuclei production over a wide range of rapidity. Compared to previous runs the statistics has been increased in the 1998 run by more than one order of magnitude for negatively charged objects at different spectrometer rigidities. At a rigidity of −20 GeV/c we measured 106 p , 103 d and one 3 He without any centrality requirements. These preliminary results together with previous measurements near central rapidity are discussed in the framework of a thermodynamical and a coalescence model.

Strangelet search and particle production studies in Pb + Pb collisions

The NA52 experiment searched for long-lived charged strangelets in 158 A GeV/c Pb+Pb collisions at CERN SPS. We collected 1013 Pb+Pb interactions looking for negatively charged strangelets and 3 × 1011 Pb+Pb interactions for positively charged ones. No evidence for the production of strangelets has been observed. The upper strangelet production limits are discussed. Besides the strangelet searches NA52 was able to identify particles and anti-particles over a wide range in rapidity. Results of the invariant differential particle production cross sections including fragments up to carbon and 5 are presented.

Evidence for πK-atoms with DIRAC

Besides the dedicated search for strangelets NA52 measures light (anti)particle and (anti)nuclei production over a wide range of rapidity. Compared to previous runs the statistics has been increased in the 1998 run by more than one order of magnitude for negatively charged objects at different spectrometer rigidities. Together with previous data taking at a rigidity of -20 GeV/c we obtained 10^6 antiprotons 10^3 antideuterons and two antihelium3 without centrality requirements. We measured nuclei and antinuclei (p,d,antiprotons, antideuterons) near midrapidity covering an impact parameter range of b=2-12 fm. Our results strongly indicate that nuclei and antinuclei are mainly produced via the coalescence mechanism. However the centrality dependence of the antibaryon to baryon ratios show that antibaryons are diminished due to annihilation and breakup reactions in the hadron dense environment. The volume of the particle source extracted from coalescence models agrees with results from pion interferometry for an expanding source. The chemical and thermal freeze-out of nuclei and antinuclei appear to coincide with each other and with the thermal freeze-out of hadrons.

First πK atom lifetime and πK scattering length measurements

Changes in pion production as a function of the impact parameter of the collision or the incident energy, may reveal characteristics of a possible first-order phase transition from nuclear to quark matter, as predicted by lattice quantum chromodynamics. In this paper we investigate charged pion production in Pb+Pb collisions at 158 GeV/nucleon near 0° production angle and at forward rapidity (4.3 y6.3). The centrality dependence of pion production is shown in the impact parameter range ~ 2-12 fm at the rapidities y = 5.7 and 6.3. An enhancement in the -/+ ratio has been measured near beam rapidity, indicating Coulomb interaction of charged pions with the spectator protons. The charged pion yield per nucleon participating in the collision (Np) at y = 5.7 increases faster than linearly with Np, up to Np~100 and then it saturates, while at y = 6.3 it does not exhibit any sudden change as a function of Np.