Polarization observables in exclusive kaon photoproduction on the deuteron

Abstract

Single and double polarization observables for kaon photoproduction on the deuteron are studied theoretically with modern hyperon-nucleon forces. The kinematical region of the kaon scattered forward with large momentum is thoroughly investigated where either the quasifree scattering leading to the kaon and hyperon or the final-state interaction between hyperon and nucleon are expected. The quasifree scatterings show characteristic peaks in the inclusive cross sections. The final-state interaction effects are significant, especially around the Lambda-N and Sigma-N thresholds. The double polarization C_z is found to be sensitive to the final-state interaction effects. Precise data would help to clarify the property of the Lambda-N--Sigma-N interaction and also help to extract the information on the elementary amplitude from the quasifree scattering region.

26 pages, 16 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. C