2000/04/11 by J. Cleymans, H. Oeschler, K. Redlich · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #High-Energy Particle Collisions Research #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions #nucl-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/s0370-2693(00)00674-2
published as Phys.Lett. B485 (2000) 27-31 · 3 Postscript figures, uses elsart.sty
arxiv created 2000/04/11 · openalex publication_date 2000/07/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The excitation functions of K+ and K- mesons in heavy ion collisions are studied within a statistical model assuming chemical and thermal equilibrium with exact strangeness conservation. At low incident energies the associate production of kaons, i.e. the production of a K+ together with a hyperon and the production of a K- together with a K+, implies specific features: different threshold energies and different dependences of K+ and K- yields on baryon number density. It is shown that the experimentally observed equality of the K+ and K- rates at energies √(s) - √sth ≤ 0 is due to a crossing of the two excitation functions. Furthermore, the independence of the K+ to K- ratio on the number of participating nucleons observed at 1 and 10 A⋅GeV is consistent with this model.