Ξ production at AGS energies

Abstract A relativistic transport model is used to study Ξ − production in 2–11 A GeV Au+Au collisions. Introducing the strangeness-exchange reactions between antikaons and hyperons as the sources for Ξ − , we find that the cascade yield in these collisions is in reasonable agreement with the data. Although the Ξ − abundance does not reach chemical equilibrium unless the cross section for strangeness-exchange reactions is enhanced by six times, it exhibits the strongest enhancement with increasing centrality of collision and with increasing beam energy.