Abstract: We report on a theoretical study of the pp -> p Lambda K(+) and pp -> p Sigma(0)K(+) reactions near threshold using a chiral dynamical approach. The production process is described by single-pion and single-kaon exchange. The final state interactions of nucleon-hyperon, K-hyperon, and K-nucleon systems are also taken into account. We show that our model leads to a fair description of the experimental data on the total cross section of the pp -> p Lambda K(+) and pp -> p Sigma(0)K(+) reactions. We find that the experimental observed strong suppression of Sigma(0) production compared to Lambda production at the same excess energy can be explained. However, ignorance of phases between some amplitudes does not allow one to properly account for the nucleon-hyperon final state interaction for the pp -> p Sigma(0)K(+) reaction. We also demonstrate that the invariant mass distribution and the Dalitz plot provide direct information about the Lambda and Sigma(0) production mechanisms and may be tested by experiments at COSY or HIRFL-CSR.

Abstract: Multinucleon transfer cross sections in the (96)Zr+(40)Ca system have been measured, in inverse kinematics, at bombarding energies ranging from the Coulomb barrier to similar to 25% below. Targetlike recoils have been identified in A, Z and velocity with the large solid angle magnetic spectrometer PRISMA. The experimental data for one- and two-neutron transfer channels have been compared with semiclassical microscopic calculations. For the two-neutron transfer channels the relevance of the transitions to the ground state and to the 0(+) excited states of (42)Ca are discussed by employing, for the reaction mechanism, the successive approximation. It is found that the transition to the 0(+) state at similar to 6 MeV, whose wave function is dominated by the two neutrons in the 2p(3/2) shell, is much larger than the ground state one. The comparison with the inclusive data reveals that transitions to states with high multipolarity and non-natural parity are important. This suggests that more complex two-particle correlations have to be incorporated in the treatment of the transfer process.

Abstract: Proton-activation reactions on natural and enriched palladium samples were investigated via the activation technique in the energy range of E(p) = 2.75-9 MeV, close to the upper end of the respective Gamow window of the. process. We have determined cross sections for (102)Pd(p,gamma)(103)Ag, (104)Pd(p,gamma)(105)Ag, and (105)Pd(p,n)(105)Ag, as well as partial cross sections of (104)Pd(p,n)(104)Ag(g), (105)Pd(p,gamma)(106)Ag(m), (106)Pd(p,n)(106)Ag(m), and (110)Pd(p,n)(110)Ag(m) with uncertainties between 3% and 15% for constraining theoretical Hauser-Feshbach rates and for direct use in gamma-process calculations.