No Arabic abstract
The results of a measurement of the proton spectra following the Non--Mesonic Weak Decay of $mathrm{^5_{Lambda}He}$, $mathrm{^7_{Lambda}Li}$ and $mathrm{^{12}_{Lambda}C}$ are presented and discussed. The experiment was performed at the ($e^+$ $e^-$) collider DA$Phi$NE at Laboratori Nazionale di Frascati of INFN. It is the first measurement for $mathrm{^7_{Lambda}Li}$, and for all the spectra the lower limit on the energy of the protons is 15 MeV, never reached before. All the spectra show a similar shape, namely a peak at around 80 MeV as expected for the free $Lambda p to np$ weak reaction, with a low energy rise that should be due to Final State Interactions and/or two--nucleon induced weak processes. The decay spectrum of $mathrm{^5_{Lambda}He}$ is somehow similar to the ones reported by previous measurements and theoretical calculations, but the same doesnt happen for the $mathrm{^{12}_{Lambda}C}$ one.
New spectra from the FINUDA experiment of the Non Mesonic Weak Decay (NMWD) proton kinetic energy for 9(Lambda)Be, 11(Lambda)B, 12(Lambda)C, 13(Lambda)C, 15 (Lambda)N and 16(Lambda)O are presented and discussed along with the published data on 5(Lambda)He and 7(Lambda)Li. Exploiting the large mass number range and the low energy threshold (15 MeV) for the proton detection of FINUDA, an evaluation of both Final State Interactions (FSI) and the two nucleon induced NMWD contributions to the decay process has been done. Based on this evaluation, a linear dependence of FSI on the hypernuclear mass number A is found and for the two nucleon stimulated decay rate the experimental value of Gamma2/Gammap=0.43+-0.25 is determined for the first time. A value for the two nucleon stimulated decay rate to the total decay rate Gamma2/GammaNMWD=0.24+-0.10 is also extracted.
Previous studies of proton and neutron spectra from Non-Mesonic Weak Decay of eight Lambda-Hypernuclei (A = 5-16) have been revisited. New values of the ratio of the two-nucleon and the one-proton induced decay widths, Gamma_2N/Gamma_p, are obtained from single proton spectra, Gamma_2N/Gamma_p = 0.50 +/- 0.24, and from neutron and proton coincidence spectra, Gamma_2N/Gamma_p = 0.36 +/- 0.14stat +0.05sys -0.04sys , in full agreement with previously published ones. With these values, a method is developed to extract the one-proton induced decay width in units of the free Lambda decay width, Gamma_p/Gamma_Lambda, without resorting to Intra Nuclear Cascade models but by exploiting only experimental data, under the assumption of a linear dependence on A of the Final State Interaction contribution. This is the first systematic determination ever done and it agrees within the errors with recent theoretical calculations.
We performed a coincidence measurement of two nucleons emitted from the nonmesonic weak decay (NMWD) of ^{5}_{Lambda}He formed via the ^{6}Li(pi^+,K^+) reaction. The energies of two nucleons and the pair number distributions in the opening angle between them were measured. In both np and nn pairs, we observed a clean back-to-back correlation coming from the two-body decay of Lambda p --> n p and Lambda n --> n n, respectively. The ratio of the nucleon pair numbers was N_{nn}/N_{np}=0.45 pm 0.11(stat)pm 0.03(syst) in the kinematic region of cos(theta_{NN}) < -0.8. Since each decay mode was exclusively detected, the measured ratio should be close to the ratio of Gamma(Lambda p --> np)/Gamma(Lambda n --> nn). The ratio is consistent with recent theoretical calculations based on the heavy meson/direct quark exchange picture.
Hypernuclei are convenient laboratory to study the baryon-baryon weak interaction and associated effective Hamiltonian. The strangeness changing process, in which a Lambda hyperon converts to a neutron with a release up to 176 MeV, provides a clear signal for a conversion of an s-quark to a d-quark. We propose to perform a non-mesonic weak decay study of 10Be(Lambda)hypernuclei using the (e,eK) reaction. These investigations will fully utilize the unique parameters of the CEBAF CW electron beam and RF system and are enabled by (1) the use of new detector for alpha particles based on the recently developed RF timing technique with picosecond resolution and (2) the small angle and large acceptance kaon spectrometer-HKS in Hall C.
The non-mesonic weak decay of polarized Lambda-hypernuclei is studied for the first time by taking into account, with a Monte Carlo intranuclear cascade code, the nucleon final state interactions. A one-meson-exchange model is employed to describe the Lambda N-> n N processes in a finite nucleus framework. The relationship between the intrinsic Lambda asymmetry parameter a_Lambda and the asymmetry a^M_Lambda accessible in experiments is discussed. A strong dependence of a^M_Lambda on nucleon final state interactions and detection threshold is obtained. Our results for a^M_Lambda are consistent with ^{11}_Lambda B and ^{12}_Lambda C data but disagree with observations in ^5_Lambda He.