Measurement of $Λ$ Polarization in the $π^{-}p \to K^{0} Λ$ Reaction at $p_{π^{-}}=1.33$ GeV/$c$ toward a New $Λp$ Scattering Experiment

This paper presents high-precision experimental data of the polarization of the $Λ$ hyperon in the $π^{-}p \to K^{0} Λ$ reaction, measured in the angular range $0.6<\cos θ^{CM}_{K0}<1.0$ with a fine bin width of $d\cos θ^{CM}_{K0}=0.05$. The data were obtained from the J-PARC E40 experiment at the K1.8 beamline in the J-PARC Hadron Experimental Facility. The observed average polarization of $Λ$ in the range $0.60<\cos θ^{CM}_{K0}<0.85$ was $0.932 \pm 0.058 \,(\text{stat}) \pm 0.028 \,(\text{syst})$, demonstrating the successful extraction of precise polarization observables. This result provides essential experimental input for partial wave analysis (PWA) of dynamical coupled-channel (DCC) models, which aim to uncover the underlying mechanisms of $N^{*}$ resonances that emerge in intermediate states of $πN$ and $γN$ interactions. Besides, it indicates the feasibility of a strongly polarized $Λ$ beam suitable for future $Λp$ scattering experiments (e.g., J-PARC E86).