Differential cross section and recoil polarization measurements for the<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi>γ</mml:mi><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mo>→</mml:mo><mml:msup><mml:mi>K</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msup><mml:mi>Λ</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>reaction using CLAS at Jefferson Lab

We present measurements of the differential cross section and $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ recoil polarization for the $\ensuremath{\gamma}p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{K}^{+}\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ reaction made using the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. These measurements cover the center-of-mass energy range from $1.62$ to $2.84$ GeV and a wide range of center-of-mass ${K}^{+}$ production angles. Independent analyses were performed using the ${K}^{+}p{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ and ${K}^{+}p$ (missing ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$) final-state topologies; results from these analyses were found to exhibit good agreement. These differential-cross-section measurements show excellent agreement with previous CLAS and LEPS results and offer increased precision and a 300-MeV increase in energy coverage. The recoil polarization data agree well with previous results and offer a large increase in precision and a 500-MeV extension in energy range. The increased center-of-mass energy range that these data represent will allow for independent study of nonresonant ${K}^{+}\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ photoproduction mechanisms at all production angles.