Experimental determination of the complete spin structure for p¯p→Λ¯Λ at pp¯=1.637GeV/c

The reaction (p) over barp -> (Lambda) over bar Lambda -> (p) over bar pi(+)p pi(-) has been measured with high statistics at a beam momentum of p((p) over bar)=1.637GeV/c. The use of a transversely polarized frozen-spin target combined with the self-analyzing property of Lambda/(Lambda) over bar decay allows access to unprecedented information on the spin structure of the interaction. The most general spin-scattering matrix can be written in terms of 11 real parameters for each bin of scattering angle; each of these parameters is determined with reasonable precision. From these results, all conceivable spin correlations are determined with inherent self-consistency. Good agreement is found with the few previously existing measurements of spin observables in (p) over barp ->(Lambda) over bar Lambda near this energy. Existing theoretical models do not give good predictions for those spin observables that had not been previously measured.