On the possibility of testing the two-peak structure of the LHCb hidden-charm strange pentaquark Pcs(4459)0P_{cs}(4459)^0 in near-threshold antikaon-induced charmonium production on protons and nuclei

Accounting for the LHCb observation that the reported hidden-charm strange pentaquark $P_{cs}(4459)^0$ can split into two substructures, $P_{cs}(4455)^0$ and $P_{cs}(4468)^0$, with a mass difference of 13 MeV as well as the newly observed hidden-charm pentaquark resonance $P_{cs}(4338)^0$ with strangeness, we study within the double-peak scenario for the $P_{cs}(4459)^0$ state the near-threshold $J/\psi$ meson production from protons and nuclei by considering incoherent direct non-resonant (${K^-}p \to {J/\psi}\Lambda$) and two-step resonant (${K^-}p \to P_{csi}^0 \to {J/\psi}\Lambda$, $i=1$, 2, 3; $P_{cs1}^{0}=P_{cs}(4338)^0$, $P_{cs2}^{0}=P_{cs}(4455)^0$, $P_{cs3}^{0}=P_{cs}(4468)^0$) charmonium production processes with the main goal of clarifying the possibility to observe within this scenario both above two substructures contributing to the $P_{cs}(4459)^0$ state and the $P_{cs}(4338)^0$ resonance in this production. We calculate the absolute excitation functions, energy and momentum distributions for the non-resonant, resonant and for the combined (non-resonant plus resonant) production of $J/\psi$ mesons on protons as well as on carbon and tungsten target nuclei at near-threshold incident antikaon beam momenta by assuming the spin-parity assignments of the hidden-charm resonances $P_{cs}(4338)^0$, $P_{cs}(4455)^0$ and $P_{cs}(4468)^0$ as $J^P=(1/2)^-$, $J^P=(1/2)^-$ and $J^P=(3/2)^-$ within four different realistic choices for the branching ratios of their decays to the ${J/\psi}\Lambda$ mode (0.125, 0.25, 0.5 and 1\%) as well as for two options for the branching fraction of their decays to the $K^-p$ channel (0.01 and 0.001\%). We show that these combined observables reveal clear sensitivity to these scenarios. Hence, they may be an important tool to provide further evidence for the existence of the above strange hidden-charm pentaquark resonances.Comment: 28 pages, 13 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2211.1603

Subthreshold K+K^+ Production on Nuclei by π+\pi^+ Mesons

The inclusive $K^+$ mesons production in $\pi^+$--nucleus reactions in the subthreshold energy regime is analyzed with respect to the one--step ($\pi^+n\to K^+\Lambda$) and the two--step ($\pi^+n\to \eta p_1,~ \eta p_2\to K^+\Lambda$) incoherent production processes on the basis of an appropriate folding model, which allows one to take into account the various forms of an internal nucleon momentum distribution as well as on-- and off--shell propagation of the struck target nucleon. Contrary to proton--nucleus reactions primary reaction channel is found to be significant practically at all considered energies. Detailed predictions for the $K^+$ total and invariant differential cross sections from \piC-- and \piPb--collisions at subthreshold energies are provided.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX, uses ws-art.sty, gzip+uuencoded postscript. Figures are available by request from [email protected]

Production of K−K^--mesons in proton-proton and proton-nucleus interactions at various energies

The experimental data on the production of $K^-$-mesons in pp-collisions are analyzed and a method of the unified description of these data in a broad energy range for primary protons is proposed. The $K^-$-mesons production in pA-collisions is considered. The simple formulas for inclusive cross sections of the $K^-$ production in these collisions are given. The results of the calculations by these formulas are compared with the available experimental data.Comment: 14 pages, LaTeX, uses ws-art.sty. Figures can be requested from [email protected] or looked up in the article abov