Study of K-p interactions at 6.5 GeV/c: final states with two charged particles and a visible Λ

We present in this dissertation a study of K-p interactions at 6.5 GeV/c using the Argonne 12-foot bubble chamber. The study is based on the analysis of final states with two charged particles and a visible vee resulting from the decay of a Λ. Production of Λrho0, Λω, and Λphi final states was studied: large backward hemisphere production was seen for Λrho0 and Λω events, while no backward hemisphere events were seen for Λphi events in accordance with Zweig's rule. The overall hyperon polarization for backward hemisphere Λrho0 and Λω events is found to be opposite in sign from that for the forward hemisphere. We detected smaller signals for the Σ0rho0 and Σ0phi events. No backward hemisphere production was seen for the latter final state. The overall hyperon polarizations for Σ0phi and Σ0rho0 events were opposite in sign from Λphi and Λrho0 events. The Σ0 final states apear to have little unnatural parity exchange compared to the Λ events. A clear signal was seen for Λeta' production in the Λπ+π-eta channel. We also noted a small signal for Λeta events in the Λπ+π-π0 channel. We have also analyzed Λf, Λf, and Σ0f production. In contrast to vector meson production, these tensor meson final states showed a dominant unnatural parity helicity 0 exchange contribution for peripheral events. Small natural parity helicity 1 contributions were present, with little helicity 2 contributions. We analyzed the Σ+(1385)π- final state from the Λπ+π- channel. The predictions of te Stodolsky-Sakurai and additive quark models give identical predictions for the density matrix elements, ans we see fair agreement of these models with the data. We have also examined the Λπ+π-π0 channel for associated production of Σ+0-(1385)p-0+