Analysis of kaon spectra at SIS energies - what remains from the KN potential

Abstract

We study the reaction Au+Au at 1.48 AGeV and analyze the influence of the KN optical potential on cm spectra and azimuthal distributions at mid-rapidity. We find a significant change of the yields but only slight changes in the shapes of the distributions when turning off the optical potential. However, the spectra show contributions from different reaction times, where early kaons contribute stronger to higher momenta and late kaons to lower momenta. Azimuthal distributions of the kaons at mid-rapidity show a strong centrality dependence. Their shape is influenced by the KN optical potential as well as by re-scattering.