Enhanced ΛΛ production near threshold in the 12C(K−,K+) reaction

Abstract Enhanced production of ΛΛ pairs, above levels predicted by a two-step process model, has been observed near threshold (in the mass range 2.23-2.26 GeV/ c 2 ) in the 12 C( K − , K + ) reaction at 1.66 GeV/ c using a scintillating fiber target. The differential cross section for ΛΛ production in the momentum region 0.95≤ p K + ≤1.3 GeV/ c averaged over the range 2.3 o ≤ θ K + ≤14.7 o was found to be 7.6±1.3 ±0.9 μ b/sr, and that for the enhancement was found to be approximately 3 μ b/sr.