Editing Hypernucleus (section)

===Strangeness exchange and production===
One method of producing a K<sup>−</sup> meson exchanges a strange quark with a nucleon and changes it to a Λ:{{sfn|Gal|Hungerford|Millener|2016|pp=6–10}}
:p + K<sup>−</sup> → Λ + π<sup>0</sup>
:n + K<sup>−</sup> → Λ + π<sup>−</sup>
The [[cross section (physics)|cross section]] for the formation of a hypernucleus is maximized when the momentum of the kaon beam is approximately 500&nbsp;MeV/''c''.{{sfn|Tolos|Fabbietti|2020|p=49}} Several variants of this setup exist, including ones where the incident kaons are either brought to rest before colliding with a nucleus.{{sfn|Gal|Hungerford|Millener|2016|pp=6–10}}

In rare cases, the incoming K<sup>−</sup> can instead produce a Ξ hypernucleus via the reaction:
:p + K<sup>−</sup> → Ξ<sup>−</sup> + K<sup>+</sup>{{sfn|Gal|Hungerford|Millener|2016|p=16}}

The equivalent [[strangeness production]] reaction involves a π<sup>+</sup> meson reacts with a neutron to change it to a Λ:{{sfn|Gal|Hungerford|Millener|2016|pp=10–12}}
:n + π<sup>+</sup> → Λ + K<sup>+</sup>
This reaction has a maximum cross section at a beam momentum of 1.05&nbsp;GeV/''c'', and is the most efficient production route for Λ hypernuclei, but requires larger targets than strangeness exchange methods.{{sfn|Gal|Hungerford|Millener|2016|pp=10–12}}