Near-Threshold Photoproduction of<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi>Λ</mml:mi><mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo><mml:mn>1520</mml:mn><mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo></mml:math>from Protons and Deuterons

Photoproduction of Lambda(1520) with liquid hydrogen and deuterium targets was examined at photon energies below 2.4 GeV in the SPring-8 LEPS experiment. For the first time, the differential cross sections were measured at low energies and with a deuterium target. A large asymmetry of the production cross sections from protons and neutrons was observed at backward K+/0 angles. This suggests the importance of the contact term, which coexists with t-channel K exchange under gauge invariance. This interpretation was compatible with the differential cross sections, decay asymmetry, and photon beam asymmetry measured in the production from protons at forward K+ angles.