Results are presented from an experiment designed to make the first systematic study of the depolarization parameter in elastic proton-proton scattering at high energies. Measurements were made at 3.0 and 6.0 GeV/c at |t| values extending to 1.7 (GeV/c)2 at the higher momentum. A high-intensity unpolarized proton beam was incident on a polarized proton target and the polarization of the elastically scattered recoil protons was determined with a carbon analyzer. The results are discussed in the framework of optical and exchange models.

Experimental results are presented for the polarization parameter P 0 in π ± p , K ± p , pp, and p ̄ p elastic scattering at 6 GeV/ c , and in the range of the invariant four-momentum transfer squared − t from 0.05 to ∼ 2.0 (GeV/ c ) 2 .

We present the final results of a measurement of the polarization parameter P 0 in high-energy n~-p and p-p elastic scattering, performed using a target which contained polarized protons. Data were taken at beam momenta of 6.0, 8.0, 10.0 and 12.0 GeV/c for n-, and of 6.0, 10.0 and 12.0 GeV/c for n+ and p, in the interval of invariant four-momentum transfer squared-t from 0.1 to 0.75 (GeV/c)2.

The spin rotation parameter R in elastic proton-proton scattering has been determined at incident momenta 6 and 16 GeV/ c in the interval from t = −0.18 (GeV/ c ) 2 to −0.54 (GeV/ c ) 2 . R pp at 16 GeV/ c is close to the val obtained for R in π − p elastic scattering at the same incident momentum. Equality of R pp ( s , t ) and R π p ( s , t ) is expected if Pomeron exchange dominates and if factorization holds. The t -dependence of R at 16 GeV/ c is consistent with weak helicity flip.

The differential elastic p−p scattering cross section was measured at 6 GeV/c at the Argonne Zero Gradient Synchrotron in the range p⊥2 = 0.6−1.0 (GeV/c)2 using a 65%-polarized target and a 75%-polarized extracted beam of intensity 3 × 109 protons/pulse. We simultaneously measured the polarization of the recoil proton with a well-calibrated carbon-target polarimeter. All three polarizations were measured perpendicular to the horizontal scattering plane. Our results indicate that P and T invariance are both obeyed to good precision even at large p⊥2. Parity invariance implies that the eight single-flip transversity cross sections are zero, so our data give the relative magnitudes of the eight remaining pure spin cross sections where all spins are measured. We find that the double-flip transversity cross sections are nonzero.

Differential cross sections in the t -range between 0.02 and 1.5 GeV 2 have been measured for the elastic scattering of particles and antiparticles on protons at 6.4, 10.4 and 14 GeV for K ± p and 10.4 GeV for π ± p and p ± p . Large statistics have been achieved and systematic uncertainties have been minimized. The relative systematic uncertainty between particle and antiparticle data is less than 0.5%. Accurate measurements of the position of the first crossover between particle and antiparticle differential cross sections have been performed. As the energy increases from 6.4 to 14 GeV the K ± p crossover moves to smaller values by 0.010 GeV 2 with a statistical error of 0.006 GeV 2 and a systematic uncertainty of 0.005 GeV 2 . The crossover positions at 10.4 GeV for π ± , K ± and p ± scale approximately with the interaction radii.

We report a study of 20 exclusive reactions measured at the AGS at 5.9 GeV/c incident momentum, 90° center of mass. This experiment confirms the strong quark flow dependence of two-body hadron-hadron scattering at large angle. At 9.9 GeV/c an upper limit had been set for the ratio of cross sections for (p¯p→p¯p)(pp→pp) at 90° c.m., with the ratio less than 4%. The present experiment was performed at lower energy to gain sensitivity, but was still within the fixed angle scaling region. A ratio R(p¯ppp)≈140 was measured at 5.9 GeV/c, 90° c.m. in comparison to a ratio near 1.7 for small angle scattering. In addition, many other reactions were measured, often for the first time at 90° c.m. in the scaling region, using beams of π±, K±, p, and p¯ on a hydrogen target. There are similar large differences in cross sections for other reactions: R(K−p→π+Σ−K−p→π−Σ+)≈112, for example. The relative magnitudes of the different cross sections are consistent with the dominance of quark interchange in these 90° reactions, and indicate that pure gluon exchange and quark-antiquark annihilation diagrams are much less important. The angular dependence of several elastic cross sections and the energy dependence at a fixed angle of many of the reactions are also presented.

The differential elastic p−p scattering cross section was measured at 6 GeV/c at the Argonne Zero Gradient Synchrotron in the range P⊥2=0.60−1.0 (GeV/c)2 using a 65% polarized target and a 75% polarized proton beam of intensity 3 × 109 protons/pulse. The polarization of the recoil proton was simultaneously measured with a well calibrated carbon-target polarimeter. All three polarizations were measured perpendicular to the horizontal scattering plane. Our results indicate that P and T invariance are both obeyed to good precision even at our largest P⊥2. Parity invariance implies that the eight single-flip transversity cross sections are zero, so our data gives the magnitudes of the eight remaining pure spin cross sections where all spins are measured. We find that the four double-flip transversity cross sections are nonzero.

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Elastic scattering, single-pion and deuteron production have been investigated. The cross-section for elastic scattering is σelastic = (13.5±0.3) mb. The angular distribution has been fitted to dσ/d|t|=(dσ/d|t|)0 e −bt in the region of low values oft. The best fit givesb=(6.7±0.5) (GeV/c)−2 and (dσ/d|t|)0=(91±5) mb(GeV/c)−2. The cross-sections for ppπ0, pnπ+ reactions are respectively (2.6±0.3) mb and (9.7±0.4) mb. These reactions are dominated by the (3/2, 3/2) nucleonpion isobar production and by forward backward collimation of the nucleons. The production rates for the isobars ++1238 , +1238 , +1500 have been estimated, taking into account the experimental peripheral behaviour of the interaction. In the pnπ+ reaction they are (50±2)%; (10±3)%; (4±3)%. In the ppπ+ reaction the production of ++1238 is estimated to be (45±10)%. The dπ+ and dπ+π+π- reaction cross-sections are respectively (0.03±0.01) mb, and (0.04±0.01) mb.