Strange-particle production in neutrino-neon charged-current interactions.

Abstract

We report a study of strange-particle production from 61?0 charged-current ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}$Ne interactions in the Fermilab 15-ft bubble chamber. The observed sample consists of 2279 ${K}^{0}$, 1843 \ensuremath{\Lambda} (including 94 ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{0}$), 93 \ensuremath{\Lambda}\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}, and 4 ${\ensuremath{\Xi}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$. We give inclusive production rates for each of these, as well as the rates for specific single-, double-, and triple-vee channels. From these we derive the rates for associated production of ss\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} quark pairs, and for single-s-quark production via charm decay. The dependence of ${K}^{0}$ and \ensuremath{\Lambda} production on ${E}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}$, ${Q}^{2}$, ${W}^{2}$, ${x}_{B}$, and ${y}_{B}$ are given. Normalized distributions of Feynman x, rapidity, fragmentation variable z, and transverse momentum squared are obtained for ${K}^{0}$ and \ensuremath{\Lambda}, and compared with those for charged pions. QCD predictions on the behavior of 〈${P}_{T}$${\mathrm{}}^{2}$〉 are tested.