Inclusive single and double diffractive dissociations in K p interactions at 32 GeV/ c.

We study single and double inclusive diffractive production in a 32 GeV/ c K p experiment in MIRABELLE at the Serpukhov accelerator. From reactions K p→ K+ X and K p→ X+ p we determine the total proton and kaon single diffractive dissociation cross sections $$\sigma (p\xrightarrow{{K^ + }}p_D ) = 0.90 \pm 0.12 mb$$ and $$\sigma (K^ + \xrightarrow{p}K_D^ + ) = 0$$ . 90±0.17 mb, respectively. In either case the only notable contributions come from dissociations into 1 and 3 charged particles. Kaon dissociation exhibits a pronounced slope-mass correlation. The search for double diffractive production in reactions K p→( Kππ)+ X and K p→( pπ π)+ X leads in either case to an estimated total double diffractive cross section σ( Kp→Kp) of ≅220 μb. The double dissociation differential cross section exhibits a large slope of ≅10GeV in the nearthreshold mass region, rapidly decreasing to ≅4 GeV with increasing excitation mass. At our c.m. energy $$(\sqrt s \simeq 8 GeV)$$ the ratio σ/σ is 0.85±0.10, the total diffractive cross section σ≡σ+σ=4.41±0.24 mb and the fraction σ( K p)/σ( K p) is 25±2%. The K and K diffractive excitation mass spectra, differential cross sections and total diffractive cross sections are very similar for both single and double dissociations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]