Regular Article - Experimental Physics

The European Physical Journal C

, Volume 68, Issue 1, pp 1-73

First online:

Open Access

# Inclusive production of charged kaons in p+p collisions at 158 GeV/c beam momentum and a new evaluation of the energy dependence of kaon production up to collider energies

• The NA49 Collaboration
• , T. AnticicAffiliated withRudjer Boskovic Institute
• , B. BaatarAffiliated withJoint Institute for Nuclear Research
• , J. BartkeAffiliated withH. Niewodniczański Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences
• , L. BetevAffiliated withCERN
• , H. BiałkowskaAffiliated withInstitute for Nuclear Studies
• , B. BoimskaAffiliated withInstitute for Nuclear Studies
• , J. BracinikAffiliated withComenius UniversitySchool of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham
• , V. CernyAffiliated withComenius University
• , O. ChvalaAffiliated withUC RiversideFaculty of Mathematics and Physics, Institute of Particle and Nuclear Physics, Charles University
• , J. DolejsiAffiliated withFaculty of Mathematics and Physics, Institute of Particle and Nuclear Physics, Charles University
• , V. EckardtAffiliated withMax-Planck-Institut für Physik
• , H. G. FischerAffiliated withCERN
• , Z. FodorAffiliated withKFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics
• , E. GładyszAffiliated withH. Niewodniczański Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences
• , K. KadijaAffiliated withRudjer Boskovic Institute
• , A. KarevAffiliated withCERN
• , V. KolesnikovAffiliated withJoint Institute for Nuclear Research
• , M. KowalskiAffiliated withH. Niewodniczański Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences
• , M. KrepsAffiliated withComenius UniversityInstitut für Experimentelle Kernphysik
• , M. MakarievAffiliated withInstitute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, BAS
• , A. MalakhovAffiliated withJoint Institute for Nuclear Research
• , M. MateevAffiliated withAtomic Physics Department, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski
• , G. MelkumovAffiliated withJoint Institute for Nuclear Research
• , A. RybickiAffiliated withH. Niewodniczański Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences
• , N. SchmitzAffiliated withMax-Planck-Institut für Physik
• , P. SeybothAffiliated withMax-Planck-Institut für Physik
• , T. SusaAffiliated withRudjer Boskovic Institute
• , P. SzymanskiAffiliated withInstitute for Nuclear Studies
• , V. TrubnikovAffiliated withInstitute for Nuclear Studies
• , D. VargaAffiliated withEötvös Loránd University
• , G. VesztergombiAffiliated withKFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics
• , S. WenigAffiliated withCERN Email author

## Abstract

New data on the production of charged kaons in p+p interactions are presented. The data come from a sample of 4.8 million inelastic events obtained with the NA49 detector at the CERN SPS at 158 GeV/c beam momentum. The kaons are identified by energy loss in a large TPC tracking system. Inclusive invariant cross sections are obtained in intervals from 0 to 1.7 GeV/c in transverse momentum and from 0 to 0.5 in Feynman x. Using these data as a reference, a new evaluation of the energy dependence of kaon production, including neutral kaons, is conducted over a range from 3 GeV to $$\mathrm{p}+\overline{\mathrm{p}}$$ collider energies.