First Study of Antihyperon-Nucleon Scattering ¯ Λ ⁢𝑝→ ¯ Λ ⁢𝑝 and Measurement of Λ⁢𝑝→Λ⁢𝑝 Cross Section

Using (10.087±0.044)×109 J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring, the processes Λp→Λp and Λ¯p→Λ¯p are studied, where the Λ/Λ¯ baryons are produced in the process J/ψ→ΛΛ¯ and the protons are the hydrogen nuclei in the cooling oil of the beam pipe. Clear signals are observed for the two reactions. The cross sections in -0.9≤cosθΛ/Λ¯≤0.9 are measured to be σ(Λp→Λp)=(12.2±1.6stat±1.1syst) and σ(Λ¯p→Λ¯p)=(17.5±2.1stat±1.6syst) mb at the Λ/Λ¯ momentum of 1.074 GeV/c within a range of ±0.017 GeV/c, where the θΛ/Λ¯ are the scattering angles of the Λ/Λ¯ in the Λp/Λ¯p rest frames. Furthermore, the differential cross sections of the two reactions are also measured, where there is a slight tendency of forward scattering for Λp→Λp, and a strong forward peak for Λ¯p→Λ¯p. We present an approach to extract the total elastic cross sections by extrapolation. The study of Λ¯p→Λ¯p represents the first study of antihyperon-nucleon scattering, and these new measurements will serve as important inputs for the theoretical understanding of the (anti)hyperon-nucleon interaction.