We investigate the $\Lambda (1520,3/2^{-})\equiv {\Lambda }^{*}$ photoproduction off the proton target beyond the resonance region within a model including the Regge contributions, the tree-level diagrams with the nucleon and the certain resonance intermediate states, and one contact term. The Reggeized propagators for the $K$ and $K^{*}$ exchanges in the $t$ channel are employed in a gauge-invariant manner. We compute the angular and energy dependences of the cross section and some polarization observables, such as the photon-beam asymmetry and the polarization-transfer coefficients. Our results qualitatively agree with the current experimental data. We find that the Regge contributions are necessary to explain the high-energy data beyond $E_{\gamma }\approx 4$ GeV, especially for the angular dependences in the forward region. On the contrary, the polarization observables are insensitive to the Regge contributions due to the contact-term dominance, which is a consequence of gauge invariance. We also calculate the $K^{-}$-angle distribution function in the Gottfried-Jackson frame, using the polarization-transfer coefficients in the $z$ direction. We find that it owns a complicated angle and energy dependences in the forward $K^{+}$ scattering region.

• Received 17 March 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.81.055206