Strangeness Suppression in Proton-Proton Collisions

We analyse strangeness production in proton-proton (pp) collisions at SPS and RHIC energies, using the recently advanced NeXus approach. After having verified that the model reproduces well the existing data, we interpret the results: strangeness is suppressed in proton-proton collisions at SPS energy as compared to electron-positron (e+e-) annihilation due to the limited masses of the strings produced in the reaction, whereas high energy pp and e+e- collisions agree quantitatively . Thus strangeness suppression at SPS energies is a consequence of the limited phase-space available in string fragmentation.Comment: 7 Figures, 4 Page

Spectra and correlations of Lambda and (Lambda)over-bar produced in 340-GeV/c Sigma(-)+C and 260-GeV/c n+C interactions

We have measured the production of strange baryons and antibaryons in 340-GeV/c Sigma /sup -/+C and 260-GeV/c n+C interactions. The single x/sub F/ distributions show the expected leading particle effect, and the single p/sub t//sup 2/ distributions show a distinct nonthermal behavior. The x/sub F/ distributions of Lambda - Lambda pairs indicate two different phase space distributions for the two coincident baryons. On the other hand two Lambda 's show identical distributions. Momentum conservation during the formation process may represent a significant source for the observed behavior