arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J. Stepaniak.
The WASA 4pi multidetector system, aimed at investigating light meson production in light ion collisions and eta meson rare decays at the CELSIUS storage ring in Uppsala is presented. A detailed description of the design, together with the anticipated and achieved performance parameters are given.
A search for rare lepton decays of the eta meson was performed using the WASA detector at CELSIUS. Two candidates for double Dalitz decay eta->e+e-e+e- events are reported with a background of 1.3+/-0.2 events. This allows to set an upper limit to the branching ratio of 9.7E-5 (90% CL). The branching ratio for the decay eta->e+e-gamma is determined to (7.8+/-0.5 stat+/-0.8 syst)E-3. An upper limit (90% CL) for the branching ratio for the eta->e+e- decay is 2.7E-5 and a limit for the sum of the eta->mu+mu-mu+mu- and eta->pi+pi-mu+mu- decays is 3.6E-4.
Decay channels of the eta meson with at least one lepton pair in the final state are discussed. Preliminary results on electron-positron pair production from the pd->He eta reaction from the WASA experiment at CELSIUS are presented.
The CELSIUS/WASA setup is used to measure the 3pi0 decay of eta mesons produced in pp interactions with beam kinetic energies of 1.36 and 1.45 GeV. The efficiency-corrected Dalitz plot and density distributions for this decay are shown, together with a fit of the quadratic slope parameter alpha yielding alpha = -0.026 +/- 0.010(stat) +/- 0.010(syst). This value is compared to recent experimental results and theoretical predictions.
The cross section for prompt neutral and charged three pion production in pp interactions was measured at excess energies in the range 160 - 217 MeV. That comprises the first measurement of the pp->pp pi0pi0pi0 reaction and the comparison with the pp->pp pi+pi-pi0 reaction, in a very direct way. The experiment was performed above the eta meson production threshold and the cross section normalization was obtained from a concurrent measurement of the reaction pp->pp eta with the eta decaying into 3 pions. Since the same final states are selected, the measurement has a low systematical error. The measured cross section ratio sigma(pp->pp pi+pi-pi0)/sigma(pp->pp pi0\pi0\pi0) is compared to predictions of dominance of different isobars in the intermediate state.
All the time since its discovery the N$^*$(1440) baryon state, commonly known as Roper resonance, has been a state with many question marks - despite of its 4-star ranking in the particle data book. One reason is that it does not produce any explicit resonance-like structures in the observables of $π$N or $γ$N reactions. Only in partial wave analyses of $π$N scattering data a clear resonance strcuture gets obvious in the $P_{11}$ partial wave. Very recent measurements of the J/$Ψ$ decay by the BES collaboration and of the $pp \to npπ^+$ reaction at 1.3 GeV by the CELSIUS-WASA collaboration show for the first time a clear resonance structure in the invariant $nπ^+$ mass spectrum for the Roper resonance at M $\approx$ 1360 MeV with a width of about 150 MeV. These values agree very favorably with the pole position results of recent $π$N phase shift analyses. In consequence of this very low-lying pole postion, which is roughly 100 MeV below the nominal value, the decay properties have to be reinvestigated. From our two-pion production data we see that the decay mainly proceeds via N$^* \to $N$σ$, i.e. a monopole transition as expected for the breathing mode of the nucleon.
The ABC effect - a puzzling low-mass enhancement in the $ππ$ invariant mass spectrum - is known from inclusive measurements of two-pion production in nuclear collisions, where it always showed up, if the participating nucleons fused to a bound nuclear system in the final state. The first exclusive measurements on the ABC effect have been carried out very recently at CELSIUS-WASA for the fusion reactions leading to d, $^3$He and $^4$He nuclei in the final state. The data analyzed so far for the fusion processes to d and $^3$He reveal this effect to be a $σ$ channel phenomenon associated with the formation of a strongly attractive $ΔΔ$ system. The data for the strictly isospin-selective double-pionic fusion to $^4$He, where we expect the largest effect, are currently still analyzed. All inclusive data on this system are well described by our model, too. This case also constitutes the heaviest nuclear system, where exclusive measurements of double-pionic fusion can be carried out with present-day instruments. Surprisingly, the $pp \to ppπ^0π^0$ reaction in the $ΔΔ$ region is observed to also show a ABC-like low-$ππ$ mass enhancement, a phenomenon, which deserves special attention.
The reaction pd->3He eta at threshold was used to provide a clean source of eta mesons for decay studies with the WASA detector at CELSIUS. The branching ratio of the decay eta->pi+pi-e+e- is measured to be (4.3+/-1.3+/-0.4)x10^-4.
Exclusive measurements of the reactions $pd\to$ $^3He π^+ π^-$ and $pd\to$ $^3He π^0π^0$ have been carried out at $T_p=0.895$ GeV at the CELSIUS storage ring using the WASA detector. The $π^+π^-$ channel evidences a pronounced enhancement at low invariant $ππ$ masses - as anticipated from previous inclusive measurements of the ABC effect. This enhancement is seen to be even much larger in the isoscalar $π^0π^0$ channel. The differential distributions prove this enhancement to be of scalar-isoscalar nature. $ΔΔ$ calculations give a good description of the data, if a boundstate condition is imposed for the intermediate $ΔΔ$ system.
The reaction pp -> pp pi0 was studied with the WASA detector at the CELSIUS storage ring. The center of mass angular distribution of the pi0 was obtained by detection of the gamma decay products together with the two outgoing protons, and found to be anisotropic with a negative second derivative slope, in agreement with the theoretical predictions from a microscopic calculation.
Some aspects of the quasi-free production of mesons in the near threshold region are discussed. A method of data analysis used by WASA/PROMICE Collaboration to extract the excitation function for eta production on neutron target is briefly presented. Feasibility of similar study with WASA at COSY is discussed.
Exclusive measurements of the p p -> p p pi+ pi- reaction have been carried out at Tp = 775 MeV at CELSIUS using the PROMICE/WASA setup. Together with data obtained at lower energy they point to a dominance of the Roper excitation in this process. From the observed interference of its decay routes N* -> N sigma and N* -> Delta pi -> N sigma their energy-dependent relative branching ratio is determined.
Narrow structures in the range of a few MeV have been searched for in p p pi+ and p p pi- invariant mass spectra obtained from exclusive measurements of the p p -> p p pi+ pi- reaction at Tp = 725, 750 and 775 MeV using the PROMICE/WASA detector at CELSIUS. The selected reaction is particularily well suited for the search for NN and / or N Delta decoupled dibaryon resonances. Except for a possible fluctuation at 2087 MeV/c^2 in Mpppi- no narrow structures could be identified neither in Mpppi+ nor in Mpppi- on the 3 sigma level of statistical significance, giving an upper limit (95% C.L.) for dibaryon production in this reaction of sigma < 20 nb for 2020 MeV/c^2 < m(dibaryon) < 2085 MeV/c^2
Exclusive measurements of the production of eta mesons in the p+p->p+p+eta reaction have been carried out at excess energies of 16 and 37 MeV above threshold. The deviations from phase space are dominated by the proton-proton final state interaction and this influences particularly the energy distribution of the eta meson. However, evidence is also presented at the higher energy for the existence of an anisotropy in the angular distributions of the eta meson and also of the final proton-proton pair, probably to be associated with D-waves in this system interfering with the dominant S-wave term. The sign of the eta angular anisotropy suggests that rho-exchange is important for this reaction.
Differential cross sections of the reactions $pp \to dπ^+$ and $pp \to pnπ^+$ have been measured at $T_p = 400$ MeV by detecting the charged ejectiles in the angular range $4^0 \leq Θ_{Lab} \leq 21^\circ$. The deduced total cross sections agree well with those published previously for neighbouring energies. The invariant mass spectra are observed to be strongly affected by $Δ$ production and $NN$ final-state interaction. The data are well described by Monte Carlo simulations including both these effects. The ratio of $pp \to pnπ^+$ and $pp \to dπ^+$ cross sections also compares favourably to a recent theoretical prediction which suggests a dominance of $np$-production in the relative $^3S_1$-state.
The problem of $ρ$- and $ω$- mesons contributions to the background for $η\to π^0 e^+e^-$ decay and to the asymmetries in the decays $η\to π^+π^-π^0$ and $η\to π^+π^-γ$ is considered.