Electroproduction of the Λ(1520) hyperon -: art. no. 044601

The reaction ep-->e'K(+)Lambda (1520) with Lambda (1520)-->p'K- was studied at electron beam energies of 4.05, 4.25, and 4.46 GeV, using the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The cos theta (K+), phi (K+), Q(2), and W dependencies of Lambda (1520) electroproduction are presented for the kinematic region 0.9<Q(2)<2.4 GeV2 and 1.95<W<2.65 GeV. Also, the Q(2) dependence of the <Lambda>(1520) decay angular distribution is presented for the first time. The COS theta (K+) angular distributions suggest t-channel diagrams dominate the production process. Fits to the Lambda (1520) t-channel helicity frame decay angular distributions indicate the m(z) = +/- 1/2 parentage accounts for about 60% of the total yield, which suggests this reaction has a significant contribution from t-channel processes with either K+ exchange or longitudinal coupling to an exchanged K*. The Q(2) dependence of the Lambda (1520) production cross section is the same as that observed for Lambda (1116) photo- and electroproduction.