Electroproduction of kaons on hydrogen and deuterium

High-statistics data have been acquired for the reactions p(e,e′K+) and d(e,eK+) over a range of W from 1.70–1.95 GeV. Coincidence measurements at Q 2 = 0.38, 0.50, and 0.52 GeV2 cover a range of virtual photon-kaon angles for both liquid hydrogen and deuterium targets. Monte Carlo simulations have been matched to the data in order to extract cross sections. The W-dependence of the p(e,e′K+)Λ and p(e,e′K+)Σ0 cross sections deviates from a previous model fitted to photoproduction data. The difference in cross sections on hydrogen and on the proton in deuterium has been quantified for Λ production. The subtraction of the Λ and Σ 0 contribution from the proton in the deuteron allows the extraction of n(e,e′K+)Σ− cross sections. The wealth of new data on Λ, Σ0, and Σ − production will put tight constraints on existing models for kaon production and form factors