The role of vector-baryon channels and resonances in the $\gamma p\to K^0{\Sigma }^{+}$ and $\gamma n\to K^0{\Sigma }^0$ reactions near the $K^{\ast }\Lambda$ threshold

Abstract

We have studied the $\gamma p\to K^0{\Sigma }^{+}$ reaction in the energy region around the $K^{\ast }\Lambda$ and $K^{\ast }\Sigma$ thresholds, where the CBELSA/TAPS cross section shows a sudden drop and the differential cross section experiences a transition from a forward-peaked distribution to a flat one. Our coupled channel model incorporates the dynamics of the vector meson-baryon interaction which is obtained from the hidden gauge formalism. We find that the cross section in this energy region results from a delicate interference between amplitudes having $K^{\ast }\Lambda$ and $K^{\ast }\Sigma$ intermediate states. The sharp downfall is dictated by the presence of a nearby $N^{\ast }$ resonance produced by our model, a feature that we have employed to predict its properties. We also show results for the complementary $\gamma n\to K^0{\Sigma }^0$ reaction, the measurement of which would test the mechanism proposed in this work.

Comments: 12 pages, 5 figures, version to appear in Phys. Lett. B