Total cross section of the reaction pp → pK⁺ Λ close to threshold

The energy dependence of the total cross section for the pp → pK+Λ reaction was measured in the threshold region covering the excess energy range up to 7 MeV. Existing model calculations describe the slope of the measured cross sections well, but are too low by a factor of two to three in rate. The data were used for a precise determination of the beam momentum of the COSY-synchrotron. © 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.