On the determination of the parity of the Θ +

We critically examine the possibility of determining the parity of the Θ + (1540) from the reactions N N → Θ + Y (Y = Λ, Σ) recently discussed in the literature. Specifically, we study the energy dependence of those observables that were suggested to be the most promising ones to unravel the parity of the Θ + , namely the spin correlation coefficient A xx , and the spin transfer coefficient D xx. We show that the energy dependence of σ 0 (1 + A xx), corresponding to the spin-triplet production cross section, guarantees unambiguous information on the parity of the Θ +. Here, σ 0 denotes the unpolarized cross section. Also, the possibility to determine the parity of the Θ + through the energy dependence of σ 0 D xx is discussed.