THRESHOLD PRODUCTION CROSS-SECTION OF THE PP-]PP-ETA REACTION IN A NONRELATIVISTIC OBE MODEL

The pp --> pp eta reaction at energies near threshold is studied in a nonrelativistic one-boson exchange model, where the S11 (1535 MeV) nucleon isobar is excited through the exchange of pi, eta and rho mesons. Providing NN and eta N final state interactions are taken into account, our predictions reproduce the energy dependence as well as the scale of the total production cross section near threshold, and thus enforce the validity of the S11 mechanism and perturbative approaches applied to eta production in hadronic collisions.