Heavy Hyperon--Antihyperon Production

Abstract

Based on the experience from the production of anti-Lambda Lambda and anti-Sigma Sigma pairs at LEAR (experiment PS185) it is suggested to continue the investigations towards the heavier antihyperon--hyperon pairs anti-Xi Xi and anti-Omega Omega in view of: (1) the production dynamics of the heavier antihyperon--hyperon out of the anti-p p annihilation (2) a comparison of the (3s 3anti-s quark system) anti-Omega Omega to the (3 (anti-s s)) 3 phi meson production, where both systems have similar masses (3.345 and 3.057, respectively) and identical valence quark content. A systematic study of the antihyperon--hyperon production with increasing strangeness content is interesting for the following reasons: The anti-Omega Omega production is the creation of two spin 3/2 objects out of the two spin 1/2 anti-p p particles. Results of the PS185 experiments prove a clear dominance of the spin triplet anti-s s dissociation. In the Omega anti-Omega the three s-quarks (three anti-s quarks) are aligned to spin 3/2 each. If the three anti-s s pairs are now all in spin triplet configurations when created out of the gluonic interaction they should have spin parity quantum number as 3^- as long as Omega anti-Omega is created with relative L=0 angular momentum. The comparison of the Omega anti-Omega baryon pair to the phi phi phi three meson production (where the three anti-s s quark pairs might not but can be produced without relative correlation) would provide a unique determination of the intermediate matter state. Measurements of excitation functions and polarization transfers should be used to examine these gluon rich anti-p p --> anti-Omega Omega and anti-p p --> phi phi phi reaction channels. Such experiments should be performed at the PANDA detector at the FAIR facility of the GSI.