Target dependence of central rapidity Λ production in sulfur-nucleus collisions at 200 GeV/<i>c</i>per nucleon

Central rapidity \ensuremath{\Lambda} production has been measured in sulfur collisions with Cu, Ag, and Pb at 200 GeV/c per nucleon. Lambdas produced in these collisions were identified by their charged decays recorded by a time projection chamber. The \ensuremath{\Lambda} yields are compared as a function of target mass. For each target, the yields are reported as a function of \ensuremath{\Lambda} transverse kinetic energy and zero degree energy (a measure of collision centrality). In each system, the data exceed predictions of the venus size-2(4.02) model of sulfur-nucleus collisions. The observed excesses show no obvious variation with collision centrality from moderate to highly central collisions.