Investigating Proton-Proton Elastic Scattering with the Upgraded HADES Spectrometer

An experiment focused on hyperon production was carried out with the upgraded HADES spectrometer. The upgrade includes a new Forward Detector system (FD) consisting of two PANDA-type Straw Tracking Stations, and an RPC. The measurements were performed with a proton beam of $p_{beam}$ = 5.3 GeV/c impinging onto an LH$_{2}$ target. Proton-proton elastic scattering events were selected based on kinematic observables, and demanding that one proton was detected in the FD ($\theta_{FD} < $ 6 $^{\circ}$), and the other proton was measured in the HADES acceptance (18$^{\circ}