Comparison of eta and eta' production in the pp -> pp eta(eta') reactions near threshold

The total cross section of the pp -> pp eta' reaction has been measured at two energies near threshold by detecting the final protons in a magnetic spectrometer. The values obtained are about a factor of 70 less than for the corresponding eta production, in good agreement with the predictions of a one-pion-exchange model.Comment: 10 pages, Latex with 3 eps figure

Empirical Determination of Threshold Partial Wave Amplitudes in pp→ppωp p \to p p \omega

Using the model independent irreducible tensor approach to $\omega$ production in $pp$ collisions, we show theoretically that, it is advantageous to measure experimentally the polarization of $\omega$, in addition to the proposed experimental study employing a polarized beam and a polarized target.Comment: 6 pages, 1 Table, Latex-2

Cross section and analyzing power of pol{p}p -> pn pi+ near threshold

The cross section and analyzing power of the pol{p}p -> pn pi+ reaction near threshold are estimated in terms of data obtained from the pol{p}p -> d pi+ and pp -> pp pi0 reactions. A simple final state interaction theory is developed which depends weakly upon the form of the pion-production operator and includes some Coulomb corrections. Within the uncertainties of the model and the input data, the approach reproduces well the measured energy dependence of the total cross section and the proton analyzing power at a fixed pion c.m. angle of 90deg, from threshold to T_p = 330 MeV. The variation of the differential cross section with pion angle is also very encouraging.Comment: 20 pages, Latex including 4 eps figure

Eta physics at threshold

The production of eta and eta-prime mesons in elementary nucleon-nucleon collisions has been investigated at the synchrotrons CELSIUS, COSY and SATURNE. The magnitude and energy dependence of the total cross section as well as the occupation distribution of the phase space serve as observables for investigating the mechanisms underlying the production processes and the interaction of mesons with nucleons. The precise data on the eta and eta-prime creation via the pp --> pp eta(eta-prime) reactions allowed to settle the general features of the eta and eta-prime meson production and revealed the sensitivity of the mentioned observables to the nucleon-nucleon-meson final state interaction. The particular production properties, like for example the determination of the dominating exchange processes which lead to the excitation of the S_11 nucleon isobar in the case of eta creation, must be established by confrontation with other observables. The present status of this investigation with an emphasis on the results of the COSY-11 collaboration is briefly presented. The available data are interpreted in view of the production mechanism and the meson-nucleon interaction.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, Presented at Conference on Quarks and Nuclear Physics (QNP 2002), Julich, Germany, 9-14 Jun 200

Eta-Helium Quasi-Bound States

The cross section and tensor analysing power t_20 of the d\vec{d}->eta 4He reaction have been measured at six c.m. momenta, 10 < p(eta) < 90 MeV/c. The threshold value of t_20 is consistent with 1/\sqrt{2}, which follows from parity conservation and Bose symmetry. The much slower momentum variation observed for the reaction amplitude, as compared to that for the analogous pd->eta 3He case, suggests strongly the existence of a quasi-bound state in the eta-4He system and optical model fits indicate that this probably also the case for eta-3He.Comment: LaTeX, uses elsart.sty, 10 pages, 3 Postscript figures, Submitted to Physics Letters

Strangeness Production Process pp→nK+Σ+pp \to nK^ + \Sigma ^ + within Resonance Model

We explore production mechanism and final state interaction in the $pp \to nK^ + \Sigma ^ +$ channel based on the inconsistent experimental data published respectively by COSY-11 and COSY-ANKE. The scattering parameter $a> 0$ for $n\Sigma ^ +$ interaction is favored by large near-threshold cross section within a nonrelativistic parametrization investigation, and a strong $n\Sigma ^ +$ interaction comparable to $pp$ interaction is also indicated. Based on this analysis we calculate the contribution from resonance $\Delta ^* (1920)$ through $\pi ^ +$ exchange within resonance model, and the numerical result suggests a rather small near-threshold total cross section, which is consistent with the COSY-ANKE data. With an additional sub-threshold resonance $\Delta ^*(1620)$, the model gives a much better description to the rather large near-threshold total cross section published by COSY-11.Comment: 10pp + 4figs, published versio

Energy Dependence of the Near-Threshold Total Cross-Section for the pp --> pp eta' Reaction

Total cross sections for the pp --> pp eta' reaction have been measured in the excess energy range from Q = 1.53 MeV to Q = 23.64 MeV. The experiment has been performed at the internal installation COSY-11 using a stochastically cooled proton beam of the COoler SYnchrotron COSY and a hydrogen cluster target. The determined energy dependence of the total cross section weakens the hypothesis of the S-wave repulsive interaction between the eta' meson and the proton. New data agree well with predictions based on the phase-space distribution modified by the proton-proton final-state-interaction (FSI) only.Comment: 12 pages, 1 table, 4 figure

Detailed comparison of the pp -> \pi^+pn and pp -> \pi^+d reactions at 951 MeV

The positively charged pions produced in proton-proton collisions at a beam momentum of 1640 MeV/c were measured in the forward direction with a high resolution magnetic spectrograph. The missing mass distribution shows the bound state (deuteron) clearly separated from the $pn$ continuum. Despite the very good resolution, there is no evidence for any significant production of the $pn$ system in the spin-singlet state. However, the $\sigma(pp\to \pi^+pn)/\sigma(pp\to \pi^+d)$ cross section ratio is about twice as large as that predicted from $S$-wave final-state-interaction theory and it is suggested that this is due to $D$-state effects in the $pn$ system.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Near threshold eta meson production in dp collisions

Preliminary results of recent measurements of the near threshold eta meson production in the dp-->dp eta reaction are presented. The experiment was performed at the COSY-Juelich accelerator with the use of the COSY-11 detection system. Data were taken for three values of deuteron beam momenta corresponding to excess energies of 3.2, 6.1 and 9.2 MeV. The energy dependence of the total cross section confirms a strong effect of the final state interaction.Comment: Talk given at 9th International Workshop on Meson Production, Properties and Interaction, Cracow, Poland, 9-13 June 2006. 5 pages, 3 figure

Chiral corrections to the isovector double scattering term for the pion-deuteron scattering length

The empirical value of the real part of the pion-deuteron scattering length can be well understood in terms of the dominant isovector $\pi N$-double scattering contribution. We calculate in chiral perturbation theory all one-pion loop corrections to this double scattering term which in the case of $\pi N$-scattering close the gap between the current-algebra prediction and the empirical value of the isovector threshold T-matrix $T_{\pi N}^-$. In addition to closing this gap there is in the $\pi d$-system a loop-induced off-shell correction for the exchanged virtual pion. Its coordinate space representation reveals that it is equivalent to $2\pi$-exchange in the deuteron. We evaluate the chirally corrected double scattering term and the off-shell contribution with various realistic deuteron wave functions. We find that the off-shell correction contributes at most -8% and that the isovector double scattering term explains at least 90% of the empirical value of the real part of the $\pi d$-scattering length.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to be published in The Physical Review