Differential cross sections for quasi-free Compton scattering from the proton and neutron bound in the deuteron have been measured using the Glasgow/Mainz tagging spectrometer at the Mainz MAMI accelerator together with the Mainz 48 cm $\oslash$ $\times$ 64 cm NaI(Tl) photon detector and the G\"ottingen SENECA recoil detector. The data cover photon energies ranging from 200 MeV to 400 MeV at $\theta^{LAB}_\gamma=136.2^\circ$. Liquid deuterium and hydrogen targets allowed direct comparison of free and quasi-free scattering from the proton. The neutron detection efficiency of the SENECA detector was measured via the reaction $p(\gamma,\pi^+ n)$. The "free" proton Compton scattering cross sections extracted from the bound proton data are in reasonable agreement with those for the free proton which gives confidence in the method to extract the differential cross section for free scattering from quasi-free data. Differential cross sections on the free neutron have been extracted and the difference of the electromagnetic polarizabilities of the neutron have been obtained to be $\alpha-\beta= 9.8\pm 3.6(stat){}^{2.1}_1.1(syst)\pm 2.2(model)$ in units $10^{-4}fm^3$. In combination with the polarizability sum $\alpha +\beta=15.2\pm 0.5$ deduced from photoabsorption data, the neutron electric and magnetic polarizabilities, $\alpha_n=12.5\pm 1.8(stat){}^{+1.1}_{-0.6}\pm 1.1(model)$ and $\beta_n=2.7\mp 1.8(stat){}^{+0.6}_{-1.1}(syst)\mp 1.1(model)$ are obtained. The backward spin polarizability of the neutron was determined to be $\gamma^{(n)}_\pi=(58.6\pm 4.0)\times 10^{-4}fm^4$.

The Sigma^- mean squared charge radius has been measured in the space-like Q^2 range 0.035-0.105 GeV^2/c^2 by elastic scattering of a Sigma^- beam off atomic electrons. The measurement was performed with the SELEX (E781) spectrometer using the Fermilab hyperon beam at a mean energy of 610 GeV/c. We obtain <r^2> = (0.61 +/- 0.12 (stat.) +/- 0.09 (syst.)) fm^2. The proton and pi^- charge radii were measured as well and are consistent with results of other experiments. Our result agrees with the recently measured strong interaction radius of the Sigma^-.

Angular distributions of recoil-proton polarization in elastic π±p scattering were measured at 864-, 981-, and 1301-MeV incident pion kinetic energy. Polarization measurements were made by observing the azimuthal asymmetry in the subsequent scattering of recoil protons in large carbon-plate spark chambers. The spark chambers proved to be very suitable polarization analyzer detectors. Strong variation of the polarization with backward pion scattering angle was observed.

Angular distributions of recoil-proton polarization in elastic π±p scattering were measured at 523-, 572-, and 689-MeV incident pion kinetic energy. Polarization measurements were made by observing the azimuthal asymmetry in the subsequent scattering of recoil protons in large carbon-plate spark chambers. Typical strong variation of the polarization with pion scattering angle near the πp diffraction minima was observed. Since existing opinion favors a D13 resonance at 600 MeV, a phase-shift analysis was attempted in order to confirm the existence and parity of this resonance. Available πp total and differential cross sections, these polarization data, and some possible restrictive assumptions related to the 600-MeV resonance were used in the analysis. Though the polarization results aided significantly in restricting the number of acceptable phase-shift sets, still, many plausible and qualitatively different sets were found.

Differential cross sections for the elastic scattering of positive pi mesons by protons were measured at the Berkeley Bevatron at pion laboratory kinetic energies between 500 and 1600 MeV. Fifty scintillation counters and a matrix coincidence system were used to identify incoming pions and detect the recoil proton and pion companions. Results were fitted with a power series in the cosine of the center-of-mass scattering angle, and total elastic cross sections were obtained by integrating under the fitted curves. The coefficients of the cosine series are displayed, plotted versus the laboratory kinetic energy of the pion. The most striking features of these curves are the large positive value of the coefficient of cos6θ*, and the large negative value of the coefficient of cos4θ*, both of which maximize in the vicinity of the 1350-MeV peak in the total cross section. These results indicate that the most predominant state contributing to the scattering at the 1350-MeV peak has total angular momentum J=72, since the coefficients for terms above cos6θ* are negligible at this energy. One possible explanation is that the 1350-MeV peak is the result of an F72 resonance lying on the same Regge-pole trajectory as the (32, 32) resonance near 195 MeV.

Differential cross sections for the elastic scattering of negative pi mesons on protons (π−−p→π−−p) were measured at the Berkeley Bevatron at five laboratory kinetic energies of the pion between 500 and 1000 MeV. The results were least-squares fitted with a power series in the cosine of the center-of-mass scattering angle, and total elastic cross sections for π−−p→π−−p were obtained by integrating under the fitted curves. The coefficients of the cosine series are shown plotted versus the incident pion laboratory kinetic energy. These curves display as a striking feature a large value of the coefficient of cos5θ* peaking in the vicinity of the 900-MeV resonance. This implies that a superposition of F52 and D52 partial waves is prominent in the scattering at this energy, since the coefficients for terms above cos5θ* are negligible. One possible explanation is that the F52 enhancement comes from an elastic resonance in the isotopic spin T=12 state, consistent with Regge-pole formalism, and the D52 partial-wave state may be enhanced by inelastic processes. At 600 MeV the values of the coefficients do not seem to demand the prominence of any single partial-wave state, although the results are compatible with an enhancement in the J=32 amplitude. A table listing quantum numbers plausibly associated with the various peaks and "shoulders" seen in the π±−p total cross-section curves is presented.