The differential cross section for π+ photoproduction has been determined at 19 points, at center-of-mass angles from 30 to 150 deg, and at photon energies from 162 to 225 MeV. The data are concentrated near 180 MeV, where a full angular distribution has been determined. The relative values of the cross sections are accurate to 5% or better, and the absolute normalization is accurate to 4%. The experiment provides data of improved accuracy which are in general consistent with previous results. The extrapolation to threshold gives a value for (k*p*)(dσdΩ)* at threshold of 16.1±0.7 μb/sr, where k*, p*, and (dσdΩ)* are the photon energy, pion momentum, and differential cross section, all in the center-of-mass system.

Hydrogen and deuterium gases have been bombarded in a gas target at a temperature of 77°K and at a pressure of about 140 atmospheres by the 318±10 Mev "spread-out" bremsstrahlung photon beam of the Berkeley electron synchrotron. The charged π-mesons which were produced were collimated at angles of 45°, 90°, and 135° to the beam direction. The π+ mesons were detected with trans-stilbene scintillation crystals using πμ, πβ, and πμβ delayed coincidences and π+ and π− mesons were detected with Ilford C-2 200-micron nuclear emulsions. The ratios of the numbers of π− to π+ mesons produced in deuterium were 0.96±0.10, 1.09±0.12, and 1.21±0.17 for the angles of 45°, 90°, and 135°, respectively. No variation of the ratio with meson energy, outside statistics, was observed. Absolute values for the π+ meson energy distribution functions from hydrogen and deuterium per "equivalent quantum" have been measured at each of the above production angles. The differential and total cross sections have been obtained by integrating over energy and angle, respectively. The experimental ratios of the deuterium to hydrogen cross sections are in good agreement with the phenomenological theory of Chew and Lewis when the Hulthén deuteron function with β=6α is used in the initial state, plane waves are used for the nucleons in the final state, and the bremsstrahlung cutoff is taken into account. The statistics of the data are, however, not sufficient to determine the amount of spin interaction. The excitation functions for hydrogen and deuterium and points on the angular distribution curves in the center-of-mass system have been obtained. An upper limit of 0.08 of the charged π-meson cross section was obtained for μ-meson production from deuterium.