Strangeness photoproduction experiments at SENDAI

Photoproduction of the K⁰ from the deuteron and the carbon nucleus has been investigated at the Laboratory of Nuclear Science, Tohoku University in Sendai. The Neutral Kaon Spectrometer and the Neutral Kaon Spectrometer 2 were developed to detect π⁺ π^- pairs coming from the decay of the K_S⁰. The resulting K⁰ momentum spectra for inclusive K⁰ photoproduction were compared with theoretical calculations based on isobar models for γ + n → K⁰ + Λ, utilizing the spectator hypothesis. An upgrade of the inner detectors to enhance the acceptance for the coincidence measurement of the K_S⁰ and Λ is underway. We expect that the exclusive and kinematically complete measurement of the reaction will provide us with direct access to the center-of-mass observables that are important for further understanding the mechanism for strangeness photoproduction.