The results presented in this paper were obtained from an analysis of $K^{-}p$ interactions in the 30-in. hydrogen bubble chamber at the Argonne ZGS using incident $K^{-}$ beams of momenta 4.1 and 5.5 GeV/c. The $\overline{K}\pi N$ final states were studied extensively; the most prominent feature of these is production of the $K^{*}\mathrm{}\left(890\right)\mathrm{}$ and $K^{*}\mathrm{}\left(1400\right)\mathrm{}$ resonances. The ${\overline{K}}^0{\pi }^{-}{\pi }^{+}n$ final state was used to measure the branching ratio of the decay of the $K^{*}\mathrm{}\left(1400\right)\mathrm{}$ into $K^{*}\mathrm{}\left(890\right)\mathrm{}\pi$ and $K\rho$. Evidence for quasi-two-body production of $K^{*}{\mathrm{}\left(890\right)\mathrm{}}^{-}$ and $K^{*}{\mathrm{}\left(1400\right)\mathrm{}}^{-}$ is presented both from the two-prong events in which the positive track was identified as a proton, and from events where the ${\overline{K}}^0$ decay was observed. For final states with a missing neutron, a study of the missing-mass distributions proved that the kinematical fits to $K^{-}{\pi }^{+}n$ and ${\overline{K}}^0{\pi }^{-}{\pi }^{+}n$ final states could be used with confidence to study $K^{*}{\mathrm{}\left(890\right)\mathrm{}}^0$ and $K^{*}{\mathrm{}\left(1400\right)\mathrm{}}^0$ production. The $K^{*}{\mathrm{}\left(890\right)\mathrm{}}^{0,-}$ production angular distribution and decay correlations are analyzed in the framework of the absorptive peripheral model. Vector exchange dominates the $K^{*}{\mathrm{}\left(890\right)\mathrm{}}^{-}$ production, whereas $K^{*}{\mathrm{}\left(890\right)\mathrm{}}^0$ is formed mainly via pseudoscalar exchange. An absorptive-peripheral-model calculation using the vector-meson coupling strengths to the nucleon given by relativistic $\mathrm{SU}\left(6\right)\mathrm{}$ gives a good fit to the $K^{*}{\mathrm{}\left(890\right)\mathrm{}}^{0,-}$ density-matrix elements as a function of production angle, and gives a reasonable fit to the differential cross section. For the $K^{*}\mathrm{}\left(1400\right)\mathrm{}$ resonance, a mass and width of 1416±8 and 107±20 MeV are obtained. Decay branching ratios measured for this resonance of $K\pi :K^{*}\pi :K\rho$ of 1: (0.52±0.12): (0.26±0.16) are in agreement with those predicted from $\mathrm{SU}\left(3\right)\mathrm{}$ assuming the $K^{*}\mathrm{}\left(1400\right)\mathrm{}$ is a member of a $2^{+}$ nonet. The absorptive peripheral model gives no reasonable fits to the $K^{*}\mathrm{}\left(1400\right)\mathrm{}$ production angular distributions. The $K^{*}{\mathrm{}\left(1400\right)\mathrm{}}^{0,-}$ production and decay angular distributions suggest that the spin parity of the $K^{*}\mathrm{}\left(1400\right)\mathrm{}$ is $2^{+}$, but without many more events, or a better model for the production mechanism, we cannot make a decisive determination.

• Received 24 August 1967

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.166.1317