Subthreshold production of K- mesons in proton-induced reactions at light nucei

The energy dependence of the various particle production channels in proton-proton interactions from threshold up to about 5 GeV is satisfactorily reproduced in the framework of the modified phase-space model. This is the starting point for predicting the unknown cross sections for K- production in the same energy region and for considering subthreshold production of K-mesons in proton-deuteron and proton-carbon interactions. Special emphasis is put on the discussion of associated production of light fragments and the role of resonances in the production process. The predicted cross sections are a basis for estimating the counting rates, which can be expected in the planned investigation on the 0 Facility at COSY. (orig.)