Bayesian model selection for electromagnetic kaon production on the nucleon

We present the results of a Bayesian analysis of a Regge model to describe the background contribution for K+ Lambda and K+ Sigma0 photoproduction. The model is based on the exchange of K+(494) and K*+(892) trajectories in the t-channel. We utilise the Bayesian evidence Z to determine the best model variant for each channel. The Bayesian evidence integrals were calculated using the Nested Sampling algorithm. For different prior widths, we find decisive Bayesian evidence (\Delta ln Z ~ 24) for a K+ Lambda photoproduction Regge model with a positive vector coupling and a negative tensor coupling constant for the K*+(892) trajectory, and a rotating phase factor for both trajectories. Using the chi^2 minimisation method, one could not draw this conclusion from the same dataset. For the K+ Sigma0 photoproduction Regge model, on the other hand, the difference between the evidence integrals is insufficient to pinpoint one model variant.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Strangeness content of the nucleon in quasielastic neutrino-nucleus reactions

We present a systematic study of the sensitivity of quasielastic neutrino-nucleus cross sections at intermediate energies to the strange quark sea of the nucleon. To this end, we investigate the impact of the weak strangeness form factors on the ratio of proton-to-neutron knockout, the ratio of neutral-to-charged current cross sections, on the Paschos-Wolfenstein relation, and on the longitudinal helicity asymmetry. The influence of axial as well as vector strangeness effects is discussed. For the latter, we introduce strangeness parameters from various hadron models and from a recent fit to data from parity violating electron scattering. In our model, the nuclear target is described in terms of a relativistic mean-field approach. The effects of final-state interactions on the outgoing nucleon are quantified within a relativistic multiple-scattering Glauber approach. Our results are illustrated with cross sections for the scattering of 1 GeV neutrinos and antineutrinos off a $^{12}$C target. Folding with a proposed FINeSSE (anti)neutrino energy-distribution has no qualitative influence on the overall sensitivity of the cross-section ratios to strangeness mechanisms. We show that vector strangeness effects are large and strongly $Q^2$ dependent.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Regge-model predictions for K+Sigma photoproduction from the nucleon

We present Regge-model predictions for the p(gamma,K+)Sigma0 and n(gamma,K+)Sigma- differential cross sections and photon-beam asymmetries in the resonance region. The reaction amplitude encompasses the exchange of K+(494) and K*+(892) Regge-trajectories, introducing a mere three free parameters. These are fitted to the available p(gamma,K+)Sigma0 data beyond the resonance region. The n(gamma,K+)Sigma- amplitude is obtained from the p(gamma,K+)Sigma0 one through SU(2) isospin symmetry considerations.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; Proceedings Tenth Conference on the Intersections of Particle and Nuclear Physics, San Diego, 200

Bayesian inference of the resonance content of p(gamma,K^+)Lambda

A Bayesian analysis of the world's p(gamma,K^+)Lambda data is presented. From the proposed selection of 11 resonances, we find that the following nucleon resonances have the highest probability of contributing to the reaction: S11(1535), S11(1650), F15(1680), P13(1720), D13(1900), P13(1900), P11(1900), and F15(2000). We adopt a Regge-plus-resonance framework featuring consistent couplings for nucleon resonances up to spin J=5/2. We evaluate all possible combinations of 11 candidate resonances. The best model is selected from the 2048 model variants by calculating the Bayesian evidence values against the world's p(gamma,K^+)Lambda data.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Electroproduction of kaons from the proton in a Regge-plus-resonance approach

We present a Regge-plus-resonance (RPR) description of the p(e,e'K^+)Y processes (Y=\Lambda,\Sigma^0) in the resonance region. The background contributions to the RPR amplitude are constrained by the high-energy p(\gamma, K^+)Y data. As a result, the number of free model parameters in the resonance region is considerably reduced compared to typical effective-Lagrangian approaches. We compare a selection of RPR model variants, originally constructed to describe $KY$ photoproduction, with the world electroproduction database. The electromagnetic form factors of the intermediate N^*s and $\Delta^*s are computed in the Bonn constituent-quark model. With this input, we find a reasonable description of the p(e,e'K^+)Y data without adding or readjusting any parameters. It is demonstrated that the electroproduction response functions are extremely useful for fine-tuning both the background and resonant contributions to the reaction dynamics.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures; added discussion on double counting in the RPR model; accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.

Regge-plus-resonance predictions for charged-kaon photoproduction from the deuteron

We present a Regge-inspired effective-Lagrangian framework for charged-kaon photoproduction from the deuteron. Quasi-free kaon production is investigated using the Regge-plus-resonance elementary operator within the non-relativistic plane-wave impulse approximation. The Regge-plus-resonance model was developed to describe photoinduced and electroinduced kaon production off protons and can be extended to strangeness production off neutrons. The non-resonant contributions to the amplitude are modelled in terms of K+ (494) and K*+ (892) Regge-trajectory exchange in the t-channel. This amplitude is supplemented with a selection of s-channel resonance-exchange diagrams. We investigate several sources of theoretical uncertainties on the semi-inclusive charged-kaon production cross section. The experimental error bars on the photocoupling helicity amplitudes turn out to put severe limits on the predictive power when considering quasi-free kaon production on a bound neutron