Speaker
Description
Recently, there has been active research on how the properties of the $\phi$ meson change in nuclear matter. Understanding the $\phi$-nucleon interaction is essential for clarifying the behavior of the $\phi$ meson in a nuclear environment. Also, the $\phi$-$N$ interaction is a unique hadronic system where quark exchange is forbidden at the first order, making gluon exchange the dominant mechanism. While $\phi$ photoproduction experiments suggest a weak $\phi$-$N$ interaction, correlation function analyses from $pp$ scattering and lattice QCD calculations indicate a possible strong attraction. These conflicting results leave the strength of the interaction uncertain.
To address this, we propose the J-PARC P95 experiment to measure the cross-section of $\pi^- p \to \phi n$. This reaction provides direct access to the $s$-channel $\phi$-$N$ interaction, allowing us to investigate nucleon resonances and the potential existence of hidden-strangeness pentaquark states. In this talk, we will discuss the experimental approach and its implications for understanding hadron interactions.
