K--MESON PRODUCTION IN PROTON-NUCLEUS COLLISIONS

K--meson production in proton-nucleus interactions at projectile energ ies up to 15 GeV is studied. As a first step the available data on K-- meson production in pp interactions are compared with different parame trizations and results of model calculations. Because of considerable uncertainties in the current descriptions of the energy dependence of the elementary K- cross section a new parametrization is suggested. Ex perimental data on K- production in pA collisions are analyzed in the framework of the Rossendorf-Collision and folding models. Satisfactory descriptions of the momentum spectra at forward angles are achieved. From an analysis of the A dependence it can be concluded that K- meson s are well suited to investigate final-state interactions for particle s interacting strongly with the residual nucleus. Furthermore, we prop ose experimental studies on K- production close to threshold. Such mea surements are particularly sensitive to contributions from secondary p rocesses or from multi-nucleon interactions.