Observed Asymmetry in p̄p → πKK / πKK̄ and Relation to Reciprocity

The charge-asymmetry observed in a recent CPLEAR experiment was interpreted by the authors as a direct observation of T-noninvariance. While this is the simplest and most natural inference, and the observed effect agrees in sign and magnitude with theoretical expectation, adherents of T-invariance may argue that other interpretations are also possible. If K and K̄ are produced equally in p̄p annihilation, and T-invariance is assumed to hold, the asymmetry observed in CPLEAR must be attributed to TCP-noninvariance of kaon beta-decays. If that were the case, the charge-asymmetry in K S → πlν decays should be three times larger than the one observed for K L decays. ∗ e-mail address: [email protected]