Production of ϕMesons in Near-Threshold πN and N N Reactions

Abstract

We analyze the production of $ϕ$ mesons in $πN$ and NN reactions in the near-threshold region, using throughout the conventional ``non-strange'' dynamics based on such processes which are allowed by the non-ideal $ω-ϕ$ mixing. We show that the occurrence of the direct $ϕNN$ interaction may show up in different unpolarized and polarization observables in $πN\to Nϕ$ reactions. We find a strong non-trivial difference between observables in the reactions $pp\to ppϕ$ and $pn\to pnϕ$ caused by the different role of the spin singlet and triplet states in the entrance channel. A series of predictions for the experimental study of this effect is presented.