Kaon pair production in pp, pd and dd collisions at COSY

The near-threshold production of kaon-pairs has been investigated in proton-proton, proton-deuteron and deuterondeuteron collisions at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY. The excitation function for the pp → ppK +K - reaction and the invariant K -p, K -pp, and K +K - mass distributions indicate the presence of both K -p and K +K - final state interactions. Analogous final-state interactions of antikaons with deuterons has been found in the pp→dK + -K 0 reaction as well as in the pn→dK +K - reaction, measured in the quasi-free pd → p spdK +K - process with a "spectator" proton (p sp). The existing COSY data on the pd → 3HeK +K - reaction are not yet sufficient to study the K -3He and K +K - final state interactions. A very small total cross section was found for the dd → 4HeK +K - reaction. © 2010 American Institute of physics.