Atomic mass dependence of \Xi^- and \overline{\Xi}^+ production in central 250 GeV \pi^- nucleon interactions

TL;DR

This paper reports the first measurement of how the production of \\Xi^- and \\overline{\\Xi}^+ particles depends on the atomic mass of the target in 250 GeV \\pi^- nucleon collisions, revealing a near-linear relationship.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental determination of the atomic mass dependence of \\Xi^- and \\overline{\\Xi}^+ production in high-energy pion-nucleon interactions.

Findings

Measured \\alpha = 0.924 \\pm 0.020 \\pm 0.025 for atomic mass dependence.

Analyzed production in collisions with Be, Al, Cu, W targets.

Covered Feynman-x range -0.09 to 0.15.

Abstract

We present the first measurement of the atomic mass dependence of central \Xi^- and \overline{\Xi}^+ production. It is measured using a sample of 22,459 \Xi^-'s and \overline{\Xi}^+'s produced in collisions between a 250 GeV \pi^- beam and targets of beryllium, aluminum, copper, and tungsten. The relative cross sections are fit to the two parameter function \sigma_0 A^\alpha, where A is the atomic mass. We measure \alpha = 0.924+-0.020+-0.025, for Feynman-x in the range -0.09 < x_F < 0.15.