Cross-Section Measurements of Lambda(1405) Photoproduction from CLAS G12 Data
The nature of the Λ(1405) state remains an unsolved puzzle despite being predicted in 1959 and experimentally confirmed soon thereafter in 1961. It has an unusual line shape that deviates from a Breit-Wigner form, typically associated with resonances. Theoretical explanations of this first, excited Λ hyperon range from it being a three-quark state (uds) to being a dynamically generated, quasi-bound KN¯ molecule to consisting of a two-pole (two resonances) structure. None of these descriptions of Λ(1405) are universally accepted. Thus, there is a need for additional data on this notoriously cryptic state to help guide theoretical models. Measurements such as cross sections can assist to elucidate our understanding of resonances and how they’re produced. In this analysis, data from the CLAS g12 experiment were studied and differential cross-section measurements for Λ(1405) photoproduction were extracted. The results contained within this work are in relatively good agreement with prior photoproduction measurements (CLAS g11). Moreover, the energy range over which the existing measurements extend is expanded to higher values with these new results. These higher energy cross-section measurements should prove to be beneficial for subsequent analyses of Λ(1405).