Search

A study of the deuteron breakup reaction pd → (pp)n with forward emission of a fast proton pair with small excitation energy Epp < 3 MeV has been performed using the ANKE spectrometer at COSY Julich. The differential cross section of the breakup reaction, averaged up to 8° over the cm polar angle of the total momentum of the pp pairs, has been obtained at six proton beam energies Tp = 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.95, 1.35, and 1.9 GeV. A first measurement of the vector analyzing power Ayp has been carried out, using a polarization normalization obtained with the EDDA detector. In addition, for the first time asymmetries of pd elastic scattering at Tp = 500 MeV have been recorded with the spectator setup at ANKE.

ANKE is a second generation experimental facility at the internal beam of the accelerator COSY at the Forschungszentrum Julich (Germany). It has recently (May 1998) been installed in the ring, commissioned and immediately after this been exploited for first experiments. Using circulating beams of protons with energies between 1.0 and 2.3 GeV, sub- and near threshold production of K+ mesons in collisions with carbon-strip targets has been investigated. The detection system of ANKE used for the first measurements is capable of detecting positively charged ejectiles in the momentum range between about 100 and 600 MeV/c. In particular, it has been optimized for K+ identification in the presence of an intense background of protons and pions. The final results of the experiments (cross sections and momentum spectra) will be used to obtain more detailed information on the subthreshold production mechanism.