Production of doubly strange hypernuclei via Ξ- doorways in the 16O(K-, K+) reaction at 1.8 GeV/c

Abstract

We examine theoretically production of doubly strange hypernuclei, 16 Ξ-C and 16 ΛΛC, in doublecharge exchange 16O(K-, K+) reactions using a distorted-wave impulse approximation. The inclusive K+ spectrum at the incident momentum pK- = 1.8 GeV/c and scattering angle θlab = 0^{\circ} is estimated in a one-step mechanism, K-p \to K+Ξ- via Ξ- doorways caused by a Ξ-p-ΛΛ coupling. The calculated spectrum in the Ξ- bound region indicates that the integrated cross sections are on the order of 7-12 nb/sr for significant 1- excited states with 14C(0+, 2+) \otimes sΛpΛ configurations in 16 ΛΛC via the doorway states of the spin-stretched 15N(1/2-, 3/2-) \otimes sΞ- in 16 Ξ-C due to a high momentum transfer qΞ- \approx 400 MeV/c. The Ξ- admixture probabilities of these states are on the order of 5-9%. However, populations of the 0+ ground state with 14C(0+) \otimes s2Λ and the 2+ excited state with 14C(2+) \otimes s2 Λ are very small. The sensitivity of the spectrum on the ΞN-ΛΛ coupling strength enables us to extract the nature of ΞN-ΛΛ dynamics in nuclei, and the nuclear (K-, K+) reaction can extend our knowledge of the S = -2 world.