Near-Threshold Production of the Multistrange ${\ensuremath{\Xi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ Hyperon

Near-Threshold Production of the Multistrange $Ξ^{-}$ Hyperon

P. Chung et al. (E895 Collaboration)

Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 202301 – Published 14 November 2003

Abstract

The yield for the multistrange $Ξ^{-}$ hyperon has been measured in $6 A G e V$ $A u + A u$ collisions via reconstruction of its decay products $π^{-}$ and $Λ$ , the latter also being reconstructed from its daughter tracks of $π^{-}$ and $p$ . The measurement is rather close to the threshold for $Ξ^{-}$ production and therefore provides an important test of model predictions. The measured yield for $Ξ^{-}$ and $Λ$ are compared for several centralities. In central collisions the $Ξ^{-}$ yield is found to be in excellent agreement with statistical and transport model predictions, suggesting that multistrange hadron production approaches chemical equilibrium in high baryon density nuclear matter.