Inclusive single and double diffractive dissociations inK + p interactions at 32 GeV/c

Abstract

We study single and double inclusive diffractive production in a 32 GeV/c K+p experiment in MIRABELLE at the Serpukhov accelerator. From reactionsK+p→K++X+ andK+p→X++p we determine the total proton and kaon single diffractive dissociation cross sections\(\sigma (p\xrightarrow{{K^ + }}p_D ) = 0.90 \pm 0.12 mb\) and\(\sigma (K^ + \xrightarrow{p}K_D^ + ) = 0\). 90±0.17 mb, respectively. In either case the only notable contributions come from dissociations into 1 and 3 charged particles. Kaon dissociation exhibits a pronounced slope-mass correlation. The search for double diffractive production in reactionsK+p→(K+π−π+)+X+ andK+p→(pπ+π−)+X+ leads in either case to an estimated total double diffractive cross section σ(K+p→K D + pD) of ≅220 μb. The double dissociation differential cross section exhibits a large slope of ≅10GeV−2 in the nearthreshold mass region, rapidly decreasing to ≅4 GeV−2 with increasing excitation mass. At our c.m. energy\((\sqrt s \simeq 8 GeV)\) the ratio σinel dif/σel is 0.85±0.10, the total diffractive cross section σdif≡σel+σinel dif=4.41±0.24 mb and the fraction σdif(K+p)/σtot(K+p) is 25±2%. TheK+ andK− diffractive excitation mass spectra, differential cross sections and total diffractive cross sections are very similar for both single and double dissociations.