Cascade physics: A new window on baryon spectroscopy

The Ξ, or Cascade, hyperons have the unique features of double strangeness and narrow widths. Typically, Γ Ξ- ∼ 10 - 20 MeV, which is 5-30 times narrower than N*, Δ, Λ, or Σ states. These features, combined with its isospin of 1/2, make possible a wide-ranging program centered on the physics of the cascade hyperon and its excited states using the photoproduction reaction γp → K+K+Ξ-. The photoproduction cross section is large enough to consider a coarse survey of cascade-proton scattering. We present the physics motivations for a systematic study of the Cascade hyperons, showing recent results from the CLAS Collaboration, and describe recent developments within the physics community to identify the possibilities for future work in this field.