Study of Xi Photoproduction from Threshold to W = 3.3 GeV

TL;DR

This study investigates Xi baryon photoproduction from threshold to 3.3 GeV, providing new cross section data and upper limits that help address the missing-baryons problem in particle physics.

Contribution

It presents the first extensive search for high-mass Xi states in photoproduction and extends the energy range of existing cross section measurements.

Findings

Established upper limits for total cross sections from threshold to 3.3 GeV.

Measured total cross sections for Xi(1320) and Xi(1530).

Extended the energy range of Xi photoproduction data.

Abstract

The doubly-strange Xi baryons provide an effective way to study a puzzle called the missing-baryons problem, where both quark models and lattice gauge theory predict more baryon excited states than are seen experimentally. However, few of these excited states have been observed with any certainty. Here, high-mass Xi states have been searched for in photoproduction with the CLAS detector, and upper limits for the total cross sections have been established from threshold to W = 3.3 GeV. In addition, the total cross sections of the ground state Xi(1320) and first excited state Xi(1530) are presented, extending significantly the center-of-mass energy range of previous data.