Inclusive K-meson production in proton-nucleus interactions

The production of K-mesons in pA (A = D, C, Cu, Ag, Au) collisions has been investigated at the COoler SYnchrotron COSY-Jülich for beam energies Tp = 1.0 − 2.3 GeV. Double differential inclusive pC cross sections at forward angles θK+ < 12 ◦ as well as the target-mass dependence of the Kmomentum spectra have been measured with the ANKE spectrometer. Far below the free NN threshold at TNN = 1.58 GeV the spectra reveal a high degree of collectivity in the target nucleus. From the targetmass dependence of the cross sections at higher energies, the repulsive in-medium potential of K-mesons can be deduced. Using pN cross-section parameterisations from literature and our measured pD data we derive a cross-section ratio of σ(pn → KX)/σ(pp → KX) ∼ (3− 4). PACS. 13.75.-n Hadron-induced lowand intermediate-energy reactions and scattering – 25.40.-h Nucleoninduced reactions and scattering