Abstract: We study the (K-, p) reaction on nuclei with a 1 GeV/c momentum kaon beam, paying special attention to the region of emitted protons having kinetic energy above 600 MeV, which was used to claim a deeply attractive kaon nucleus optical potential. Our model describes the nuclear reaction in the framework of a local density approach and the calculations are performed following two different procedures: one is based on a many-body method using the Lindhard function and the other is based on a Monte Carlo simulation. The simulation method offers flexibility to account for processes other than kaon quasielastic scattering, such as K- absorption by one and two nucleons, producing hyperons, and allows consideration of final-state interactions of the K-, the p, and all other primary and secondary particles on their way out of the nucleus, as well as the weak decay of the produced hyperons into pi N. We find a limited sensitivity of the cross section to the strength of the kaon optical potential. We also show a serious drawback in the experimental setup-the requirement for having, together with the energetic proton, at least one charged particle detected in the decay counter surrounding the target-as we find that the shape of the original cross section is appreciably distorted, to the point of invalidating the claims made in the experimental paper on the strength of the kaon nucleus optical.

Abstract: We study the eta'N interaction within a chiral unitary approach which includes pi N, eta N and related pseudoscalar meson-baryon coupled channels. Since the SU(3) singlet does not contribute to the standard interaction and the eta' is mostly a singlet, the resulting scattering amplitude is very small and inconsistent with the experimental scattering length. The additional consideration of vector meson-baryon states into the coupled channel scheme, via normal and anomalous couplings of pseudoscalar to vector mesons, enhances substantially the eta'N amplitude. We also exploit the freedom of adding to the Lagrangian a new term, allowed by the symmetries of QCD, which couples baryons to the singlet meson of SU(3). Adjusting the unknown strength to the eta'N scattering length, we obtain predictions for the elastic eta'N -> eta'N and inelastic eta'N -> eta N, pi N, K Lambda, K Sigma cross sections at low eta' energies, and discuss their significance.

Abstract: We evaluate the width of the omega meson in nuclear matter. We consider the free decay mode of the omega into three pions, which is dominated by rho IEuro decay, and replace the rho and pi propagators by their medium-modified ones. We also take into account the quasielastic and inelastic processes induced by a vector-baryon interaction dominated by vector meson exchange, as well as the contributions coming from the mechanism with medium-modified K , propagators. We obtain a substantial increase of the omega width in the medium, reaching a value of 121 +/- 10 MeV at normal nuclear matter density for an omega at rest, which comes mainly from omega N -> pi pi N, omega NN -> pi NN processes associated to the dominant omega -> rho IEuro decay mode. The value of the width increases moderately with momentum, reaching values of around 200MeV at 600MeV/c.

Abstract: We study the weak decay of the Lambda(b) into J/psi K Xi. and J/psi eta Lambda states, and relate these processes to the Lambda(b) -> J/psi(K) over barN decay mode. The elementary weak transition at the quark level proceeds via the creation of a J/psi meson and an excited sud system with I = 0, which upon hadronization leads to (K) over barN or eta Lambda pairs. These states undergo final-state interaction in coupled channels and produce a final meson-baryon pair. The K. state only occurs via rescattering, hence making the Lambda(b) -> J/psi K Xi process very sensitive to the details of the meson-baryon interaction in strangeness S = -1 and isospin I = 0. We show that the corresponding invariant mass distribution is dominated by the next-to-leading-order terms of the chiral interaction. The I = 0 selectivity of this decay, and its large sensitivity to the higher-order terms, makes its measurement very useful and complementary to the K- p -> K Xi cross section data. The rates of the Lambda(b) -> J/psi K Xi and Lambda(b) -> J/psi eta Lambda invariant mass distributions are sizable compared to those of the Lambda(b) -> J/psi(K) over barN decay, which is measured experimentally, and thus, we provide arguments for an experimental determination of these decay modes that will help us understand better the chiral dynamics at higher energies.

Abstract: The hidden-charm pentaquark P-c(4450) observed recently by the LHCb collaboration may be of molecular nature, as advocated by some unitary approaches that also predict pentaquark partners in the strangeness S = -1 sector. In this work we argue that a hidden-charm strange pentaquark could be seen from the decay of the Lambda b, just as in the case of the non-strange P-c(4450), but looking into the J/psi eta Lambda decay mode and forming the invariant mass spectrum of J/psi Lambda pairs. In the model presented here, which assumes a standard weak decay topology and incorporates the hadronization process and final-state interaction effects, we find the J/psi eta Lambda final states to be populated with similar strength as the J/psi K- p states employed for the observation of the non-strange pentaquark. This makes the Lambda b -> J/psi eta Lambda decay to be an interesting process to observe a possible strange partner of the P-c(4450). We study the dependence of the J/psi Lambda mass spectra on various model ingredients and on the unknown properties of the strange pentaquark.