Cross Sections and Beam Asymmetries for K+ Sigma*- photoproduction from the deuteron at 1.5-2.4 GeV

TL;DR

This paper reports the first measurements of cross sections and beam asymmetries for the photoproduction of Sigma(1385) from a deuteron target in the 1.5-2.4 GeV energy range, providing new insights into hyperon production mechanisms.

Contribution

It presents novel experimental data on K+ Sigma* photoproduction from deuterons, specifically measuring cross sections and beam asymmetries in a previously unexplored energy range.

Findings

Cross sections range from 0.4 to 1.2 μb at forward angles.

Broad maximum in cross sections near 1.8 GeV photon energy.

Beam asymmetries are negative, contrasting with other reactions.

Abstract

The $\Sigma(1385)$ resonance, or $\Sigma^*$, is well-known as part of the standard baryon decuplet with spin $J=3/2$. Measurements of the reaction $\gamma p \to K^+ \Sigma^{*0}$ are difficult to extract due to overlap with the nearby $\Lambda(1405)$ resonance. However, the reaction $\gamma n \to K^+ \Sigma^{*-}$ has no overlap with the $\Lambda(1405)$ due to its charge. Here we report the first measurement of cross sections and beam asymmetries for photoproduction of the \sigs from a deuteron target. % where the $K^+$ and $\pi^-$ are detected in the LEPS spectrometer. The cross sections at forward angles range from 0.4 to 1.2 $\mu$b, with a broad maximum near $E_\gamma \simeq 1.8$ GeV. The beam asymmetries are negative, in contrast to postive values for the $\gamma n \to K^+\Sigma^-$ reaction.