Charged kaon distributions in forward rapidities in central S+Ag and S+Au collisions at 200 GeV/nucleon

Preliminary results of charged kaon production in central S+Ag and S+Au collisions at 200 GeV/nucleon are presented as measured by the NA35 experiment at the CERN SPS. Charged kaons are detected through their 2 and 3-body decays in the sensitive volume of a large TPC detector placed downstream of a 1.5 Tesla magnet. The trigger (about 8% of the total inelastic cross section) selected central collisions using cuts on the amount of forward energy registered in a small acceptance calorimeter around the beam axis. Rapidity and transverse mass distributions for charged kaons as well as K/π ratios are presented and compared to model predictions. Comparison will also be made to data in the target rapidity region as measured in the same experiment using a large volume streamer chamber. Possible kaon production mechanisms will also be discussed