Experimental Features of Hyperon-Nucleon Interactions

This thesis presents the study of the hyperon-nucleon scattering interactions of Σ−p → Σ−p and Σ+p → Σ+ p using data from the g12 experiment performed at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Shedding light on these interactions will allow physicist to obtain a more clear description of the dynamics of hyperons in the core of neutron stars. This will subsequently allow the refinement of the Equation of States of Neutron stars and the resolution of the ”Hyperon Puzzle”.
The two scattering interactions were investigated in conjunction through the determination of their cross section ratio. The cross section ratio of the two reaction were calculated as a function of both momentum and
energy, and finally compared to the cross section ratio calculated using the Clebsch-Gordon coefficients of the Isospins.
This work established a promising preliminary agreement between experimental cross section ratios at low momenta and theoretical predictions based on Clebsch-Gordon coefficients. This initial result serves as a crucial stepping-stone for future investigations, laying the groundwork for more accurate extraction of cross section ratios in subsequent studies that will
enhance the collaborative work of experimentalists and theorists in the attempt of solving the ”Hyperon Puzzle”.