First measurement of coherent $ϕ$-meson photoproduction on deuteron at low energies

Abstract

The cross section and decay angular distributions for the coherent ϕmeson photoproduction on the deuteron have been measured for the first time up to a squared four-momentum transfer t =(p_γ-p_ϕ)^2 =-2 GeV^2/c^2, using the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The cross sections are compared with predictions from a re-scattering model. In a framework of vector meson dominance, the data are consistent with the total ϕ-N cross section σ_{ϕN} at about 10 mb. If vector meson dominance is violated, a larger σ_{ϕN} is possible by introducing larger t-slope for the ϕN \to ϕN process than that for the γN \to ϕN process. The decay angular distributions of the ϕare consistent with helicity conservation.