Λ̄/p̄ RATIOS IN HEAVY ION COLLISIONS AT 11.6 A ·GeV/c

We attempt to explain the Λ̄/p̄ ratios measured in heavy ion collisions at 11.6 A · GeV/c beam momentum within a hadronic framework. This ratio is enhanced relative to corresponding ratios in pp collisions, and is large when compared with thermal fits to heavy ion data. Using a detailed cascade calculation, we show that different annihilation cross–sections of Λ̄’s and p̄’s, and the net conversion of p̄’s to Λ̄’s, do not account for the enhancement in central collisions. For larger impact parameters, however, hadronic mechanisms may well suffice to produce the observed enhancement. Uncertainties in elementary cross–sections and formation times are considered.