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M. Ostrick

Publications and source records attributed to M. Ostrick.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Coherent photoproduction of pi^0- and eta-mesons off 7Li

Coherent photoproduction of $π^0$-mesons from threshold ($E_{th} \approx$ 136 MeV) throughout the $Δ$-resonance region and of $η$-mesons close to the production threshold ($E_{th} \approx$ 570 MeV for $η$) has been measured for $^7$Li nuclei. The experiment was performed using the tagged-photon beam of the Mainz MAMI accelerator with the Crystal Ball and TAPS detectors combined to give an almost 4$π$ solid-angle electromagnetic calorimeter. The reactions were identified by a combined invariant-mass and missing-energy analysis. A comparison of the pion data to plane-wave impulse modelling tests the nuclear mass form factor. So far coherent $η$-production had been only identified for the lightest nuclear systems ($^2$H and $^3$He). For $^3$He a large enhancement of the cross section above plane-wave approximations had been reported, indicating the formation of a quasi-bound state. The present Li-data for $η$-production agree with a plane-wave approximation. Contrary to $^3$He, neither a threshold enhancement of the total cross section nor a deviation of the angular distributions from the expected form-factor dependence were observed.

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Photoproduction of pi0pi0 and pi0pi+-pairs off the proton from threshold to the second resonance region

Precise total cross-sections and invariant-mass distributions have been measured for photoproduction of pion pairs off the proton producing $pπ^0π^0$ and $nπ^+π^0$ final states from the threshold region up to 800 MeV incident photon energy. Additionally, beam helicity asymmetries have been measured in the second resonance region (550 MeV - 820 MeV). The experiment was performed at the tagged photon beam of the Mainz MAMI accelerator with the Crystal Ball and TAPS detectors combined to give an almost 4$π$ solid-angle electromagnetic calorimeter. The results are much more precise than any previous measurements and confirm the chiral perturbation theory predictions for the threshold behavior of these reactions. In the second resonance region, the invariant-mass distributions of meson-meson and meson-nucleon pairs are in reasonable agreement with model predictions, but none of the models reproduce the asymmetries for the mixed-charge channel.

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Study of the gamma p --> pi0 pi0 p reaction with the Crystal Ball/TAPS at the Mainz

The gamma p --> pi0 pi0 p reaction has been measured from threshold to 1.4 GeV using the Crystal Ball and TAPS photon spectrometers together with the photon tagging facility at the Mainz Microtron. The experimental results include total and differential cross sections as well as specific angular distributions, which were used to extract partial-wave amplitudes. In particular, the energy region below the D13(1520) resonance was studied.

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Transparency ratio in γA -> η' A' and the in-medium η' width

The photoproduction of η'-mesons off different nuclei has been measured with the CBELSA/TAPS detector system for incident photon energies between 1500 - 2200 MeV. The transparency ratio has been deduced and compared to theoretical calculations describing the propagation of η'-mesons in nuclei. The comparison indicates a width of the η' -meson of the order of Γ= 15-25 MeV at ρ=ρ_0 for an average momentum p_{η'} = 1050 MeV/c, at which the η'-meson is produced in the nuclear rest frame. The inelastic η' N cross section is estimated to be 3 - 10 mb. Parameterizing the photoproduction cross section of η'-mesons by σ(A) = σ_0 A^α, a value of α= 0.84\pm0.03 has been deduced.

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Coherent photoproduction of eta-mesons off 3He - search for eta-mesic nuclei

Coherent photoproduction of $η$-mesons off $^3$He, i.e. the reaction $γ^3{He}\rightarrow η^3{He}$, has been investigated in the near-threshold region. The experiment was performed at the Glasgow tagged photon facility of the Mainz MAMI accelerator with the combined Crystal Ball - TAPS detector. Angular distributions and the total cross section were measured using the $η\rightarrow γγ$ and $η\rightarrow 3π^0\rightarrow 6γ$ decay channels. The observed extremely sharp rise of the cross section at threshold and the behavior of the angular distributions are evidence for a strong $η{^3{He}}$ final state interaction, pointing to the existence of a resonant state. The search for further evidence of this state in the excitation function of $π^0$-proton back-to-back emission in the $γ^3{He}\rightarrow π^0 pX$ reaction revealed a very complicated structure of the background and could not support previous conclusions.

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Anomaly in the K^0_S Sigma^+ photoproduction cross section off the proton at the K* threshold

The $γ+ p \rightarrow K^0 + Σ^+$ photoproduction reaction is investigated in the energy region from threshold to $E_γ= 2250$\,MeV. The differential cross section exhibits increasing forward-peaking with energy, but only up to the $K^*$ threshold. Beyond, it suddenly returns to a flat distribution with the forward cross section dropping by a factor of four. In the total cross section a pronounced structure is observed between the $K^*Λ$ and $K^*Σ$ thresholds. It is speculated whether this signals the turnover of the reaction mechanism from t-channel exchange below the $K^*$ production threshold to an s-channel mechanism associated with the formation of a dynamically generated $K^*$-hyperon intermediate state.

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Photoproduction of Neutral Pions off Protons

Photoproduction of neutral pions has been studied with the CBELSA/TAPS detector in the reaction $γp\to pπ^0$ for photon energies between 0.85 and 2.50 GeV. The $π^0$ mesons are observed in their dominant neutral decay mode: $π^0\toγγ$. For the first time, the differential cross sections cover the very forward region, $θ_{\rm c.m.}<60^\circ$. A partial-wave analysis of these data within the Bonn-Gatchina framework observes the high-mass resonances $G_{17}$(2190), $D_{13}$(2080), and $D_{15}$(2070).

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Quasi-free photoproduction of eta-mesons off the deuteron

Precise data for quasi-free photoproduction of $η$ mesons off the deuteron have been measured at the Bonn ELSA accelerator with the combined Crystal Barrel/TAPS detector for incident photon energies up to 2.5 GeV. The $η$-mesons have been detected in coincidence with recoil protons and neutrons. Possible nuclear effects like Fermi motion and re-scattering can be studied via a comparison of the quasi-free reaction off the bound proton to $η$-production off the free proton. No significant effects beyond the folding of the free cross section with the momentum distribution of the bound protons have been found. These Fermi motion effects can be removed by an analysis using the invariant mass of the $η$-nucleon pairs reconstructed from the final state four-momenta of the particles. The total cross section for quasi-free $η$-photoproduction off the neutron reveals even without correction for Fermi motion a pronounced bump-like structure around 1 GeV of incident photon energy, which is not observed for the proton. This structure is even narrower in the invariant mass spectrum of the $η$-neutron pairs. Position and width of the peak in the invariant mass spectrum are $W\approx 1665$ MeV and FWHM $Γ\approx 25$ MeV. The data are compared to the results of different models.

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Photoproduction of $ω$ mesons on nuclei near the production threshold

The photoproduction of $ω$ mesons on LH_2, C and Nb has been studied for incident photon energies from 900 to 1300 MeV using the CB/TAPS detector at ELSA. The $ω$ line shape does not show any significant difference between the LH_2 and the Nb targets. The data are compared with results of transport calculations that predict a sensitivity of the $ω$ line shape to in-medium modifications near the production threshold on a free nucleon of $E_γ^{lab}$ = 1109 MeV.}

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Measurement of 3pi^0 photoproduction on the proton from threshold to 1.4 GeV

The total cross section for gamma p -> 3pi0 p has been measured for the first time from threshold to 1.4 GeV using the tagged photon beam of the Mainz Microtron. The equipment utilized the Crystal Ball multiphoton spectrometer, the TAPS forward detector and a particle identification detector. The gamma p -> 3pi0 p total cross section has two broad enhancements at sqrt{s}~1.5 GeV and 1.7 GeV. We obtained the ratio of the total cross sections gamma p -> 3pi0 p to gamma p -> eta p equal to 0.014 \pm 0.001 at sqrt{s}~1.5 GeV.

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Photoproduction of $η'$-mesons off the deuteron

Quasi-free photoproduction of $η'$ mesons off nucleons bound in the deuteron has been measured with the combined Crystal Barrel - TAPS detector. The experiment was done at a tagged photon beam of the ELSA electron accelerator in Bonn for incident photon energies from the production threshold up to 2.5 GeV. The $η'$-mesons have been detected in coincidence with recoil protons and recoil neutrons. The quasi-free proton data are in good agreement with the results for free protons, indicating that nuclear effects have no significant impact. The coincidence with recoil neutrons provides the first data for the $γn \rightarrow nη'$ reaction. In addition, also first estimates for coherent $η'$-production off the deuteron have been obtained. In agreement with model predictions, the total cross section for this channel is found to be very small, at most at the level of a few nb. The data are compared to model calculations taking into account contributions from nucleon resonances and $t$-channel exchanges.

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Measurement of the reaction $γp \TO K^ + Λ(1520)$ at photon energies up to 2.65 GeV

The reaction $γp \TO K^+Λ(1520)$ was measured in the energy range from threshold to 2.65 GeV with the SAPHIR detector at the electron stretcher facility ELSA in Bonn. The $Λ(1520)$ production cross section was analyzed in the decay modes $pK^-$, $n \bar{K}^0$, $Σ^{\pm}π^{\mp}$, and $Λπ^+π^-$ as a function of the photon energy and the squared four-momentum transfer $t$. While the cross sections for the inclusive reactions rise steadily with energy, the cross section of the process $γp \TO K^+Λ(1520)$ peaks at a photon energy of about 2.0 GeV, falls off exponentially with $t$, and shows a slope flattening with increasing photon energy. The angular distributions in the $t$-channel helicity system indicate neither a $K$ nor a $K^\star$ exchange dominance. The interpretation of the $Λ(1520)$ as a $Σ(1385)π$ molecule is not supported.

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Study of the gp-->etap reaction with the Crystal Ball detector at the Mainz Microtron(MAMI-C)

The gp-->etap reaction has been measured with the Crystal Ball and TAPS multiphoton spectrometers in the energy range from the production threshold of 707 MeV to 1.4 GeV (1.49 =< W >= 1.87 GeV). Bremsstrahlung photons produced by the 1.5-GeV electron beam of the Mainz Microtron MAMI-C and momentum analyzed by the Glasgow Tagging Spectrometer were used for the eta-meson production. Our accumulation of 3.8 x 10^6 gp-->etap-->3pi0p-->6gp events allows a detailed study of the reaction dynamics. The gp-->etap differential cross sections were determined for 120 energy bins and the full range of the production angles. Our data show a dip near W = 1680 MeV in the total cross section caused by a substantial dip in eta production at forward angles. The data are compared to predictions of previous SAID and MAID partial-wave analyses and to thelatest SAID and MAID fits that have included our data.

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First measurement of the circular beam asymmetry in the gamma p --> pi0 eta p reaction

The circular photon asymmetry for pi0 eta photoproduction on the proton was measured for the first time at the tagged photon facility of the MAMI C accelerator using the Crystal Ball/TAPS photon spectrometer. The experimental results are interpreted within a phenomenological isobar model that confirms the dominant role of the Delta(1700)D33 resonance. The measured asymmetry allows us to identify small contributions from positive-parity resonances via interference terms with the dominant D33 amplitude.

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In-medium $ω$ mass from the $γ+ Nb \to π^{0}γ+ X$ reaction

Data on the photoproduction of $ω$ mesons on nuclei have been re-analyzed in a search for in-medium modifications. The data were taken with the Crystal Barrel(CB)/TAPS detector system at the ELSA accelerator facility in Bonn. First results from the analysis of the data set were published by D. Trnka et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett 94 (2005) 192303 \cite{david}, claiming a lowering of the $ω$ mass in the nuclear medium by 14$%$ at normal nuclear matter density. The extracted $ω$ line shape was found to be sensitive to the background subtraction. For this reason a re-analysis of the same data set has been initiated and a new method has been developed to reduce the background and to determine the shape and absolute magnitude of the background directly from the data. Details of the re-analysis and of the background determination are described. The $ω$ signal on the $Nb$ target, extracted in the re-analysis, does not show a deviation from the corresponding line shape on a $LH_2$ target, measured as reference. The earlier claim of an in-medium mass shift is thus not confirmed. The sensitivity of the $ω$ line shape to different in-medium modification scenarios is discussed.

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Measurement of the Beam Asymmetry $Σ$ in the Forward Direction for pi0 Photoproduction

Photoproduction of neutral pions has been studied with the CBELSA/TAPS detector for photon energies between 0.92 and 1.68~GeV at the electron accelerator ELSA. The beam asymmetry~$Σ$ has been extracted for $115^\circ < θ_{\rm c.m.} < 155^\circ$ of the $π^0$~meson and for $θ_{\rm c.m.} < 60^\circ$. The new beam asymmetry data improve the world database for photon energies above 1.5~GeV and, by covering the very forward region, extend previously published data for the same reaction by our collaboration. The angular dependence of $Σ$ shows overall good agreement with the SAID parameterization.

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Isobar model analysis of pi0-eta photoproduction on protons

Photoproduction of pi0-eta on protons in the energy range from threshold to 1.4 GeV is discussed. The data for representative angular distributions recently obtained at MAMI C are analyzed using an isobar model. The isobars considered are Delta(1232) and S11(1535) for pi0-p and eta-p states, respectively. In accordance with the results of earlier works the main features of the reaction are explained through the dominance of the D33 wave with a relatively small admixture of positive parity resonances. Comparison with recent experimental results for the photon beam asymmetry is carried out.

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Photoproduction of meson pairs: First measurement of the polarization observable I^s

The polarization observable I^s, a feature exclusive to the acoplanar kinematics of multi-meson final states produced via linearly polarized photons, has been measured for the first time. Results for the reaction g p -> p pi0 eta are presented for incoming photon energies between 970 MeV and 1650 MeV along with the beam asymmetry I^c. The comparably large asymmetries demonstrate a high sensitivity of I^s to the dynamics of the reaction. Fits using Bonn-Gatchina partial wave analysis demonstrate that the new polarization observables carry significant information on the contributing partial waves.

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