M. Sekimoto

Experimental signature of medium modifications for rho and omega mesons in the 12 GeV p+A reactions.

The invariant mass spectra of e+e- pairs produced in 12 GeV proton-induced nuclear reactions are measured at the KEK Proton Synchrotron. On the low-mass side of the meson peak, a significant enhancement over the known hadronic sources has been observed. The mass spectra, including the excess, are well reproduced by a model that takes into account the density dependence of the vector meson mass modification, as theoretically predicted.

The superconducting kaon spectrometer — SKS

A superconducting kaon spectrometer has been installed in the north experimental hall of the KEK 12-GeV proton synchrotron. The spectrometer was designed to serve for nuclear physics experiments with meson beams in the 1 GeV/c region, particular emphasis being laid on study of Λ-hypernuclei via (π+, K+) reactions. In order to obtain Λ-hypernuclear data with better statistics and energy resolution, it was designed to have a good momentum resolution of 0.1% FWHM and a large acceptance of 100 msr. It consists of a large superconducting dipole magnet, tracking chambers, and trigger counters that can efficiently select kaons from large background of pions and protons. The overall energy resolution for scattering is realized together with a beam-line spectrometer in the K6 beam line, the momentum resolution of which was also designed to be better than 0.1% FWHM. A good energy resolution of better than 2 MeV FWHM has been confirmed in π−-12C elastic scattering and in the (π+,K+) reaction on 12C.

Mesonic and nonmesonic weak decay widths of medium-heavy {lambda} hypernuclei

We have measured the energy spectra of pions and protons emitted in the weak decay of {sup {lambda}}{sub 12}C, {sup {lambda}}{sub 28}Si, and hypernuclei produced via the ({pi}{sup +},K{sup +}) reaction. The decay widths of the {pi}{sup -} mesonic decay ({lambda}{yields}p{pi}{sup -}) and the nonmesonic decay ({lambda}N{yields}NN) were extracted. The present results demonstrate an increase of the mesonic decay width due to a distortion of the pion wave function in nuclear medium for the first time. The ratios of the neutron- to proton-induced nonmesonic decay widths, {gamma}{sub n}({lambda}n{yields}nn)/{gamma}{sub p}({lambda}p{yields}np), were evaluated by a direct comparison of the measured proton energy spectra with the calculated ones. No theoretical calculation which has been proposed so far can simultaneously account for both the nonmesonic decay widths and the {gamma}{sub n}/{gamma}{sub p} ratios in the present data.

Search for the H dibaryon in (K−, K+) reaction with scintillating fiber active target

Abstract We have studied ( K − , K + ) reactions at P K − = 1.66 GeV/c by using a newly developed active target made of plastic scintillating fibers. The H dibaryon ( S = −2, I ( J π ) = 0(0 + )) has been searched for through the direct process, K − + C → K + + H + X , by the analysis of the K + momentum spectrum with the help of visual data of the scintillating fiber target. No evidence for the H production was observed. Upper limits for the differential cross section for the H production in the forward direction of the K + is 0.04–0.6 μb/sr at the 90% confidence level for the H mass range from 1850 to 2215 MeV/c 2 .

Enhanced ΛΛ production near threshold in the 12C(K−,K+) reaction

Abstract Enhanced production of ΛΛ pairs, above levels predicted by a two-step process model, has been observed near threshold (in the mass range 2.23-2.26 GeV/c2) in the 12C(K−,K+) reaction at 1.66 GeV/c using a scintillating fiber target. The differential cross section for ΛΛ production in the momentum region 0.95≤pK+≤1.3 GeV/c averaged over the range 2.3o≤θK+≤14.7o was found to be 7.6±1.3 ±0.9 μ b/sr, and that for the enhancement was found to be approximately 3 μ b/sr.

Exclusive measurement of the nonmesonic weak decay of the lambda(5)He hypernucleus.

We performed a coincidence measurement of two nucleons emitted from the nonmesonic weak decay of lambda(5)He formed via the 6Li(pi+, K+) reaction. The energies of the two nucleons and the pair number distributions in the opening angle between them were measured. In both np and nn pairs, we observed a clean back-to-back correlation coming from the two-body weak reactions of lambda p --> np and lambda n --> nn, respectively. The ratio of the nucleon pair numbers was N(nn)/N(np) = 0.45 +/- 0.11(stat) +/- 0.03(syst) in the kinematic region of cos theta(NN) < -0.8. Since each decay mode was exclusively detected, the measured ratio should be close to the ratio of gamma(lambda p --> np)/gamma(lambda n --> nn). The ratio is consistent with recent theoretical calculations based on the heavy meson and/or direct-quark exchange picture.We performed a coincidence measurement of two nucleons emitted from the nonmesonic weak decay (NMWD) of ^{5}_{\Lambda}He formed via the ^{6}Li(\pi^+,K^+) reaction. The energies of two nucleons and the pair number distributions in the opening angle between them were measured. In both np and nn pairs, we observed a clean back-to-back correlation coming from the two-body decay of \Lambda p -->n p and \Lambda n -->n n, respectively. The ratio of the nucleon pair numbers was N_{nn}/N_{np}=0.45 \pm 0.11(stat)\pm 0.03(syst) in the kinematic region of cos(theta_{NN})<-0.8. Since each decay mode was exclusively detected, the measured ratio should be close to the ratio of \Gamma(\Lambda p -->np)/\Gamma(\Lambda n -->nn). The ratio is consistent with recent theoretical calculations based on the heavy meson/direct quark exchange picture.

The (pi+,K+) reaction and light Lambda hypernuclear spectroscopy

Abstract High-quality excitation-energy spectra of Λ 7 Li, Λ 9 Be, Λ 13 C and Λ 16 O as well as Λ 12 C have been obtained with 2 MeV (FWHM) resolution and good statistics through the (π + ,K+) reaction. The spectra of Λ 12 C, Λ 16 0 and Λ 13 C are discussed in relation to the ΛN spindependent interaction, and those of Λ 9 Be and Λ 7 Li within the framework of the cluster structure of Λ hypernuclei. It is emphasized that Λ hypernuclear spectroscopy provides us with valuable information on Λ hypernuclear structure and the ΛN interaction.

Particle production in the target-rapidity region from hadron-nucleus reactions at several GeV

Abstract Highly inelastic processes in hadron-nucleus reactions at several GeV have been studied by measuring multi-particle emission in the target-rapidity region. Events with no leading particle(s) but with high multiplicities were observed up to 4 GeV. Proton spectra from such events were well reproduced with a single-moving-source model, which implied possible formation of a local source. The number of nucleons involved in the source was estimated to be (3–5)A 1 3 from the source velocity and the multiplicity of emitted protons. In those processes the incident energy flux seemed to be deposited totally or mostly (>62;75%) in the target nucleus to form the local source. The cross sections for the process were about 30% of the geometrical cross sections, with little dependence on incident energies up to 4 GeV and no dependence on projectiles (pions or protons). The E0 parameter in the invariant-cross-section formula E d3σ/dp3 = A exp (−E/E0) for protons from the source increases with incident energy from 1 to 4 GeV/c, but seems to saturate above 10 GeV at a value E0 = 60–70 MeV. Three components in the emitted nucleon spectra were observed which would correspond to three stages of the reaction process: primary, pre-equilibrium and equilibrium.

Measurement of the

We have precisely measured

\pi^-

\Lambda \to p\pi^-