Measurement of the nuclear multiplicity ratio for $K^0_s$ hadronization at CLAS

TL;DR

This study measures how the nuclear environment affects the production of $K^0_s$ mesons in deep inelastic scattering, revealing suppression at high energy fractions and transverse momentum broadening in heavier nuclei.

Contribution

First measurement of $K^0_s$ multiplicity ratios in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering across different nuclear targets at Jefferson Lab.

Findings

Reduced $K^0_s$ multiplicity ratios at high $z$ in heavy nuclei

Transverse momentum broadening observed in larger nuclei

Nuclear medium influences $K^0_s$ hadronization process

Abstract

The influence of cold nuclear matter on lepto-production of hadrons in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering is measured using the CLAS detector in Hall B at Jefferson Lab and a 5.014 GeV electron beam. We report the $K_s^0$ multiplicity ratios for targets of C, Fe, and Pb relative to deuterium as a function of the fractional virtual photon energy $z$ transferred to the $K_s^0$ and the transverse momentum squared $p_{T}^2$ of the $K_s^0$. We find that the multiplicity ratios for $K^0_s$ are reduced in the nuclear medium at high $z$ and low $p_{T}^2$, with a trend for the $K^0_s$ transverse momentum to be broadened in the nucleus for large $p_{T}^2$.