Comparison of N→Nπ, Nππ and ΛK diffractive excitation systems at 14.3 GeV/c and 500–1500 GeV/c

Abstract

Abstract We compare some aspects of the N→N π , N→N ππ and N → Λ K diffractive fragmentation systems induced by 14.3 GeV/ c incident K − mesons with those obtained in pp interactions at ISR energies. The similarity between the low-mass Nπ and Nππ systems produced by different incident particles at c.m. energies differing by an order of magnitude is very striking. The shapesof the mass spectra (not the M 2 / s spectra) are approximately independent of s , both in the resonant and non-resonant diffractive dissociation components. These findings, as well as features of the differential cross sections and decay angular distributions, indicate that the (asymptotic) diffractive dynamics operative at ISR energies is already dominant at 10–20 GeV/ c , remains essentially unchanged over this broad energy range, and has approximate vertex factorization properties.