(SVD-2 Collaboration) A. G. Afonin, E. N. Ardashev, V. F. Golovkin, S. N. Golovnya, S. A. Gorokhov, A. A. Kiryakov, A. G. Kholodenko, V. V. Konstantinov, L. L. Kurchaninov, I. S. Lobanov, E. V. Lobanova, G. A. Mitrofanov, V. S. Petrov, A. V. Pleskach, M. K. Polkovnikov, V. N. Riadovikov*, V. N. Ronzhin, V. A. Senko,N. A. Shalanda, M. M. Soldatov, Yu. P. Tsyupa, A. P. Vorobiev, V. I. Yakimchuk, and V. N. Zapolskii∗ IHEP, Protvino, Moscow region, Russia.

The results of an analysis of data from the SERP-Е-184 experiment devoted to studying mechanisms of the production of charmed particles in proton–nucleus interactions at 70 GeV and their decays are presented. The data in question were obtained upon irradiating the SVD-2 active target consisting of carbon, silicon, and lead plates with a beam of 70-GeV protons. A detailed simulation on the basis of the FRITIOF7.02 and GEANT3.21 code packages made it possible to optimize event-selection criteria and to calculate the detection efficiency for Λ c + baryons. After selecting a signal from the threebody decay of a Λ c + baryon, the inclusive cross section for its production at near-threshold energies, its lifetime, and the parameter of the A dependence of the cross section were found. The Λ c + -baryon yields are tabulated along with data from other experiments and theoretical predictions.

Data from the SVD-2 experiment that were obtained at the IHEP accelerator in 70-GeV/c proton-nucleus interactions are analyzed with the aim of searches for an exotic Θ+ baryon that decays through the pK S 0 channel. The reaction pN → pK S 0 + X characterized by a bounded multiplicity of charged secondaries is used for this analysis. A resonance of mass M = 1526 ± 3(stat.) ± 3(syst.) MeV/c2 and width Γ < 24 MeV/c2 is observed in the invariant-mass spectrum of the pK S 0 system at a statistical significance of 5.6σ. The mass and the width of this resonance correspond to the recently found positive-strangeness Θ+ baryon, which was predicted to be an exotic baryon consisting of five quarks (pentaquark), \(uudd\bar s\). The total cross section for the production of a Θ+ baryon in pA interactions is estimated at a value within the range 30–120 μb for xF ≥ 0. An analysis of the A dependence of the cross section for Θ+-baryon production does not reveal a significant deviation from the A dependence for inelastic events (∼A0.7).

The flux of high-energy muons (with threshold energies between 10 and 500 GeV) was measured with a magnetic spectrometer in the system used at Moscow State University to investigate extensive air showers. The lateral distributions of muons, their energy spectra, and the dependence of the characteristics of the muon component on the shower-age parameter, the sign of the muon charge, and the number of particles per shower in the range N/sub e/ = 5 x 10/sup 4/--3 x 10/sup 6/ are reported.