Production of high-orbital kaon excited states in the $K^{-}p$ reaction

Abstract

In this work, a systematic investigation of the production of high-orbital-excitation kaons in $K^{-}p$ reactions is carried out within an effective Lagrangian approach. The relevant $t$-channel processes are constructed, and the model is calibrated using a single adjustable parameter determined from existing experimental data. With this parameter, the measured production cross sections for the $K_3^*(1780)$, $K_2(1820)$, $K_2(1770)$ and $K_4^*(2045)$ states are successfully reproduced. Employing the same framework, the production cross sections for other high-orbital kaons are predicted. The results indicate that these states possess sizable cross sections and exhibit characteristically forward-peaked angular distributions, which is a typical feature of $t$-channel exchange, highlighting their great potential for observation in future experiments.