Near Threshold K+K- Meson-Pair Production in Proton-Proton Collisions

The near threshold total cross section and angular distributions of K+K- pair production via the reaction pp --> ppK+K- have been studied at an excess energy of Q = 17 MeV using the COSY-11 facility at the cooler synchrotron COSY. The obtained cross section as well as an upper limit at an excess energy of Q = 3 MeV represent the first measurements on the K+K- production in the region of small excess energies where production via the channel pp --> pp Phi --> ppK+K- is energetically forbidden. The possible influence of a resonant production via intermediate scalar states f0(980) and a0(980) is discussed.