Polarized secondary particles in unpolarized high energy hadron-hadron collisions?

Abstract

In this short note I speculate on some consequences of the high energy collision picture in which the orbital angular momentum of the colliding hadrons can be converted into secondary particle angular spin momentum via some spin-orbital interaction. In particular I discuss a possibility to observe a non-zero polarization of secondary particles (e.g. hyperons) at midrapidity ($x_F=0$) and at low transverse momentum. I also speculate that such effects could contribute to the produced particle directed and elliptic flow observed in relativistic nuclear collisions.