Possible Determination of the Spin ofΛ0from Its Large Decay Angular Asymmetry

Abstract

General consideration of the angular distribution of the decay products of a hyperon into a pion and a nucleon is carried out for arbitrary values $J$ of the hyperon spin. Limitations on the magnitude of the asymmetry in the angular distribution are found. These limitations are formulated in terms of certain test functions which when applied to experimental results may lead to an unambiguous determination of the value of the hyperon spin. These considerations and the large "up-down" asymmetry in ${\Lambda }^0$ decay reported in recent literature suggest that the spin of ${\Lambda }^0$ is ½.