265 research outputs found
Inclusive K^+ meson production in proton-nucleus interactions
The production of K^+ mesons in pA (A = D, C, Cu, Ag, Au) collisions has been
investigated at the COoler SYnchrotron COSY-J\"ulich for beam energies T_p =
1.0 - 2.3 GeV. Double differential inclusive pC cross sections at forward
angles theta < 12 degrees as well as the target-mass dependence of the K^+
momentum spectra have been measured with the ANKE spectrometer. Far below the
free NN threshold at T_{NN}=1.58 GeV the spectra reveal a high degree of
collectivity in the target nucleus. From the target-mass dependence of the
cross sections at higher energies, the repulsive in-medium potential of K^+
mesons can be deduced. Using pN cross-section parameterisations from literature
and our measured pD data we derive a cross-section ratio of sigma(pn -> K^+ X)
/ sigma(pp -> K^+ X) ~ (3-4).Comment: Accepted for publication in EPJ A; 17 pages, 10 figures, 11 table
The influence of upper-plate advance and erosion on overriding plate deformation in orogen syntaxes
Focused, rapid exhumation of rocks is observed at some orogen syntaxes, but the driving mechanisms remain poorly understood and contested. In this study, we use a fully coupled thermomechanical numerical model to investigate the effect of upper-plate advance and different erosion scenarios on overriding plate deformation. The subducting slab in the model is curved in 3-D, analogous to the indenter geometry observed in seismic studies. We find that the amount of upper-plate advance toward the trench dramatically changes the orientation of major shear zones in the upper plate and the location of rock uplift. Shear along the subduction interface facilitates the formation of a basal detachment situated above the indenter, causing localized rock uplift there. We conclude that the change in orientation and dip angle set by the indenter geometry creates a region of localized uplift as long as subduction of the down-going plate is active. Switching from flat (total) erosion to more realistic fluvial erosion using a landscape evolution model leads to variations in rock uplift at the scale of large catchments. In this case, deepest exhumation again occurs above the indenter apex, but tectonic uplift is modulated on even smaller scales by lithostatic pressure from the overburden of the growing orogen. Highest rock uplift can occur when a strong tectonic uplift field spatially coincides with large erosion potential. This implies that both the geometry of the subducting plate and the geomorphic and climatic conditions are important for the creation of focused, rapid exhumation.Peer reviewe
Search for Free Decay of Negative Pions in Water and Light Materials
We report on a search for the free decay component of pi- stopped in water
and light materials. A non-zero value of this would be an indication of
anomalous nu_e contamination to the nu_e and nu_mu_bar production at
stopped-pion neutrino facilities. No free decay component of pi- was observed
in water, Beryllium, and Aluminum, for which upper limits were established at
8.2E-4, 3.2E-3, and 7.7E-3, respectively
Phenomenological analysis of K+ meson production in proton-nucleus collisions
Total and differential cross sections from literature, on the production of
K+ mesons in pA interactions at projectile energies between T=0.8 and 2.9 GeV,
covering the transition across the free nucleon-nucleon threshold at 1.58 GeV,
have been investigated. From the target-mass dependence of the production cross
sections no evidence for the expected change of the dominant reaction mechanism
from two-step to direct kaon production was found. At T=1.0 GeV the A
dependences of the total cross sections and of the most recent data from
COSY-Juelich, differential cross sections measured under forward angles, are
strongly different. The invariant K+ production cross sections show an overall
exponential scaling behavior with the squared four-momentum transfer between
the beam proton and the produced K+ meson for t< -0.05 GeV^2 independent of the
beam energy and emission angle. The data from COSY-Juelich reveal a strongly
different t dependence in the region of t>0 GeV^2. Further data at forward
angles and different beam energies should be taken in order to explore this
region of kinematically extreme conditions.Comment: 9 Pages, 11 Figure
Evidence for an Excited Hyperon State in pp -> p K^+ Y^{0*}
Indications for the production of a neutral excited hyperon in the reaction
pp -> p K^+ Y^{0*} are observed in an experiment performed with the ANKE
spectrometer at COSY-J\"ulich at a beam momentum of 3.65 GeV/c. Two final
states were investigated simultaneously, viz. Y^{0*} -> pi^+X^- and pi^-X^+,
and consistent results were obtained in spite of the quite different
experimental conditions. The parameters of the hyperon state are M(Y^{0*})=
(1480 +/- 15) MeV/c^2 and Gamma(Y^{0*})= (60 +/- 15) MeV/c^2. The production
cross section is of the order of few hundred nanobarns. Since the isospin of
the Y^{0*} has not been determined here, it could either be an observation of
the Sigma(1480), a one-star resonance of the PDG tables, or alternatively a
Lambda hyperon. Relativistic quark models for the baryon spectrum do not
predict any excited hyperon in this mass range and so the Y^{0*} may be of
exotic nature.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.Let
Subthreshold and near-threshold kaon and antikaon production in proton-nucleus reactions
The differential production cross sections of K^+ and K^- mesons have been
measured at the ITEP proton synchrotron in p+Be, p+Cu collisions under lab
angle of 10.5^0, respectively, at 1.7 and 2.25, 2.4 GeV beam energies. A
detailed comparison of these data with the results of calculations within an
appropriate folding model for incoherent primary proton-nucleon, secondary
pion-nucleon kaon and antikaon production processes and processes associated
with the creation of antikaons via the decay of intermediate phi mesons is
given. We show that the strangeness exchange process YN->NNK^- gives a small
contribution to the antikaon yield in the kinematics of the performed
experiment. We argue that in the case when antikaon production processes are
dominated by the channels with KK^- in the final state, the cross sections of
the corresponding reactions are weakly influenced by the in-medium kaon and
antikaon mean fields.Comment: 24 pages. accepted for publication at J.Phys.
Measurement of the isospin-filtering dd -> 4He K+ K- reaction at Q=39 MeV
The total cross section for the dd -> 4He K+ K- reaction has been measured at
a beam momentum of 3.7 GeV/c, corresponding to an excess energy of 39 MeV,
which is the maximum possible at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY-J\"{u}lich. A
deuterium cluster-jet target and the ANKE forward magnetic spectrometer, placed
inside the storage ring, have been employed in this investigation. We find a
total cross section of sigma(tot) < 14 pb, which brings into question the
viability of investigating the dd -> 4He a0(980) reaction as a means of
studying isospin violation.Comment: Five pages with three eps figure
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