Strangeness Production at low Q^2 in Deep-Inelastic ep Scattering at HERA

TL;DR

This paper investigates the production of neutral strange hadrons in deep-inelastic ep scattering at HERA, measuring cross sections, ratios, and asymmetries to compare with theoretical predictions.

Contribution

It provides new measurements of strange hadron production cross sections and asymmetries in a specific Q^2 range, testing Monte Carlo models against experimental data.

Findings

K_s production cross sections measured and compared to charged particles

Lambda - anti-Lambda asymmetry found to be consistent with zero

Data compared to leading order Monte Carlo predictions

Abstract

The production of neutral strange hadrons is investigated using deep-inelastic scattering events measured with the H1 detector at HERA. The measurements are made in the phase space defined by the negative four-momentum transfer squared of the photon 2 < Q^2 < 100 GeV^2 and the inelasticity 0.1 < y < 0.6. The K_s and Lambda production cross sections and their ratios are determined. K_s production is compared to the production of charged particles in the same region of phase space. The Lambda - anti-Lambda asymmetry is also measured and found to be consistent with zero. Predictions of leading order Monte Carlo programs are compared to the data.