Photoproduction of φ mesons from nuclei

We investigate the consequences of possible medium modifications of the φ meson at finite nuclear matter density on the K⁺K^- mass distribution in photonuclear reactions. The inclusive cross sections for K⁺K^- pair production are calculated within a semiclassical Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenback (BUU) transport model, which combines the initial-state interaction of the incoming photon with the final-state interactions of the produced particles. The effects of final-state interactions on the invariant mass distribution of the observed K⁺K^- pairs are discussed in detail. In addition, we calculate the Coulomb correction and possible effects of hadronic kaon potentials on the K⁺K^- mass spectrum. Due to the large cross sections for reactions of the final-state particles with the surrounding nuclear medium and the influence of the Coulomb potential, we find no measurable sensitivity of the observables to the φ properties at finite baryon density.