INCLUSIVE STUDY OF STRANGE-PARTICLE PRODUCTION IN PP INTERACTIONS AT 405-GEV-C

We have studied inclusive KS0, Λ, and Λ̄ production and strange-resonance production in the reactions pp→(KS0,Λ or Λ̄)+π±+anything at 405 GeV/c. The observed cross sections are 7.43 ± 0.45 mb for KS0, 4.01 ± 0.35 mb for Λ, and 0.63 ± 0.12 mb for Λ̄. From the analyses of the effective-mass distributions for the (KS0π±), (Λπ±), and (Λ̄π±) systems, the resonance production cross sections are determined as 4.1 ± 1.0 mb for K*+(890), 3.6 ± 1.0 mb for K*-(890), 3.4 ± 1.7 mb for K*±(1420), 0.67 ± 0.12 mb for +(1385), 0.45 ± 0.09 mb for -(1385), and 0.25 ± 0.08 mb for ̄±(1385). The inclusive total and differential cross sections are discussed in comparison with data at lower energies. The direct production cross sections for pseudoscalar, vector, and tensor K mesons are estimated to be 2.3 ± 1.2, 3.4 ± 1.0, and 1.7 ± 0.8 mb, respectively. Direct pseudoscalar-K-meson production accounts for less than one-third of the total inclusive kaon production. Evidence of vector-meson dominance in inclusive meson production at high energy is indicated. © 1979 The American Physical Society.