Strangeness production in antiproton-nucleus annihilation

TL;DR

This paper uses microscopic transport calculations within the GiBUU model to study strangeness production in antiproton-nucleus annihilation, highlighting hyperon production mechanisms and potential signals of exotic processes.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed microscopic transport analysis of hyperon production and spectra in antiproton-nucleus annihilation, emphasizing the role of strangeness exchange processes.

Findings

Rapidity spectra of $\\Xi$ hyperons are shifted to forward rapidities.

The shift in spectra can serve as a test for exotic annihilation mechanisms.

Production of double $\\Lambda$-hypernuclei via $\\Xi^-$ interactions is predicted.

Abstract

The results of the microscopic transport calculations of $\bar p$-nucleus interactions within a GiBUU model are presented. The dominating mechanism of hyperon production is the strangeness exchange processes $\bar K N \to Y \pi$ and $\bar K N \to \Xi K$. The calculated rapidity spectra of $\Xi$ hyperons are significantly shifted to forward rapidities with respect to the spectra of $S=-1$ hyperons. We argue that this shift should be a sensitive test for the possible exotic mechanisms of $\bar p$-nucleus annihilation. The production of the double $\Lambda$-hypernuclei by $\Xi^-$ interaction with a secondary target is calculated.