Near-Threshold Production ofϕMesons inppCollisions

The pp ! ppreaction has been studied at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY-Julich, using the internal beam and ANKE facility. Total cross sections have been determined at three excess energiesnear the production threshold. The differential cross section closest to threshold at � � 18:5 MeV exhibits a clear S wave dominance as well as a noticeable effect due to the proton-proton final-state interaction. Taken together with data for pp! production, a significant enhancement of the �=! ratio of a factor 8 is found compared to predictions based on the Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka rule.