Production of Λ hypernuclei in π+A interactions

The production of Λ hyperons in π+A interactions is studied on the basis of the intranuclear-cascade model, and the excitation-energy, momentum, angular-momentum, charge, and mass distributions of the ensemble of product hypernuclei are determined. The decay of excited hypernuclei via particle emission and fission is considered. It is shown that, for the production of heavy Λ hypernuclei, the optimal momentum of the incident π+ meson is about 1 GeV/c. The cross section of the channel in which heavy-nucleus decay induced by a π+ meson is accompanied by the emission of a K+ meson is estimated, and it is proposed to use the reaction (π+, K+f) in measurements of the fission barrier in hypernuclei and of their level density