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Abstract:The energy dependence of the total cross section for the pp −→ pK + Λ reaction was measured in the threshold region covering the excess energy range up to 7 MeV.Existing model calculations describe the slope of the measured cross sections well, but are too low by a factor of two to three in rate.The data were used for a precise determination of the beam momentum of the COSY-synchrotron.

The production of η mesons has been measured in the proton-proton interaction close to the reaction threshold using the COSY-11 internal facility at the cooler synchrotron COSY. Total cross sections were determined for eight different excess energies (ǫ) in the range from ǫ = 0.5 MeV to ǫ = 5.4 MeV.The energy dependence of the total cross section is well described by the available phase-space volume weighted by FSI factors for the proton-proton and proton-η pairs.

Threshold measurements of the associated strangeness production reactions pp → pK + Λ and pp → pK + Σ 0 are presented. Although slight differences in the shapes of the excitation functions are observed, the most remarkable feature of the data is that at the same excess energy the total cross section for the Σ 0 production appears to be about a factor of 28 smaller than the one for the Λ particle. It is concluded that strong Σ 0 p final state interactions, and in particular the ΣN → Λp conversion reaction, are the likely cause of the depletion for the yield in the Σ signal. This hypothesis is in line with other experimental evidence in the literature.

The near threshold total cross section and angular distributions of K + K − pair production via the reaction pp −→ ppK + K − have been studied at an excess energy of Q = 17 MeV using the COSY-11 facility at the cooler synchrotron COSY. The obtained cross section as well as an upper limit at an excess energy of Q = 3 MeV represent the first measurements on the K + K − production in the region of small excess energies where production via the channel pp −→ ppΦ −→ ppK + K − is energetically forbidden. The possible influence of a resonant production via intermediate scalar states f 0 (980) and a 0 (980) is discussed.