Seventy-one events containing charmed-particle decays have been observed in an experiment using the SLAC Hybrid Facility exposed to a backward-scattered photon beam. Several improvements were made to the apparatus since the previous experiment on charm photoproduction. Results for the charmed-meson lifetimes are consistent with the published results from the previous experiment and the two data samples have been combined yielding a total sample of 136 charm events. After imposing rigorous cuts, 50 neutral, 48 charged, and 2 charged/neutral ambiguous decays remain. From these, the charmed-meson lifetimes are measured to be &=(8.6±1.3−0.3+0 .7)×10−13 sec, &=(6.1±0.9±0.3)×10 −13 sec, and their ratio &=1.4±0.3− 0.1+0.2. The total charm cross section at a photon energy of 20 GeV has been measured to be (62±8−10+15) nb. There is evidence for both DD¯X and D¯Λc+X production with σD¯Λc+X/σcharm=(71± 11±6)%.

The dominant partial waves of the diffractively produced N π system at low Nπ masses (⩽ 1.4 GeV) are determined in the reactions π ± p → π (N π ) at 16 GeV/ c . A satisfactory description of our data can only be obtained by strong contributions of both a 1 2 − S-wave and a 3 2 + P-wave, violating the Gribov-Morrison rule. Spin and parity of the diffractively produced states are found from the interference between diffraction and Δ (1236) production. The interference term is obtained by an isospin analysis.

The production of ρ 0 (770) and f(1270) is studied in π − p interactions at 16 GeV/ c . By comparison with inclusive K ∗0 production in the reaction K − p → K ∗0 + anything, and with inclusive ρ 0 production in the reaction pp → ρ 0 + anything, it is found that the data can be interpreted in terms of two production processes: the central production of resonances and the fragmentation of the beam particle. For the π − p reaction, the inclusive ρ 0 beam fragmentation cross section is 3.1 ± 0.3 mb while that for central production is 1.6 ± 0.5 mb. The ρ 0 central production cross section is consistent with increasing with energy as ln s behaviour. The ratio of ρ 0 to π − inclusive cross sections (excluding the leading π − ) is ∼0.2, independent of energy. The ρ 0 to π − ratio increases as a function of p T to a constant value of ∼ 1 2 above 1 GeV/ c . The ρ (charged and neutral) and f decays account for (25 ± 4)% and (1.4 ± 0.3)%, respectively, of all pions produced.

Diffractive dissociation of neutrons and N ∗ production are studied in the reaction π − n → π − π − p at 15 GeV/ c . The reaction is dominated by a broad, low-mass diffractive enhancement in the pπ − mass. Evidence is presented for the production of at least one N ∗ resonance in the mass region 1.4–1.8 GeV. Comparison with ISR data suggest that this N ∗ resonance is produced by pomeron exchange. The N ∗ production occurs predominantly at t ′ > 0.1 GeV 2 which suggests a different coupling from the usual diffractive reactions. The non-resonant diffractive background is compared with a double-Regge model and the statistical dissociation model.

The $e^+e^-\to K^+K^-$ cross section and charged-kaon electromagnetic form factor are measured in the $e^+e^-$ center-of-mass energy range ($E$) from 2.6 to 8.0 GeV using the initial-state radiation technique with an undetected photon. The study is performed using 469 fb$^{-1}$ of data collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II $e^+e^-$ collider at center-of-mass energies near 10.6 GeV. The form factor is found to decrease with energy faster than $1/E^2$, and approaches the asymptotic QCD prediction. Production of the $K^+K^-$ final state through the $J/\psi$ and $\psi(2S)$ intermediate states is observed. The results for the kaon form factor are used together with data from other experiments to perform a model-independent determination of the relative phases between single-photon and strong amplitudes in $J/\psi$ and $\psi(2S)\to K^+K^-$ decays. The values of the branching fractions measured in the reaction $e^+e^- \to K^+K^-$ are shifted relative to their true values due to interference between resonant and nonresonant amplitudes. The values of these shifts are determined to be about $\pm5\%$ for the $J/\psi$ meson and $\pm15\%$ for the $\psi(2S)$ meson.

Measurements of the reaction γ p → p π + π − π + π − are presented, in which π + π − π + π − systems with masses up to 3 GeV are produced from fragmentation of the incident photon. The reaction is dominated by production of the large peak of the ϱ′(1600) meson and, at higher masses ≳2 GeV, y production of jet-like 4 π systems. The ϱ′(1600) meson is produced by a predominantly s -channel helicity conserving mechanism. At higher masses there are also indications of ϱπ peaks, of masses 1.3 GeV (the A 2 meson) and 1.75 GeV, produced with a recoiling π meson by a mechanism consistent with the Deck effect.

The reaction γγ → ϱ + ϱ − → π + π − π 0 π 0 has been studied with the ARGUS detector at the e + e − storage ring DORIS II at DESY. Near threshold, the cross section for this reaction is about four times smaller than for the reaction γγ → ϱ 0 ϱ 0 .

Results are presented from an experiment in which high-energy deuterons, produced by proton-proton interactions at 21.1 GeV/ c incident momentum, were detected over a range of angles from 12.5 mrad to 60 mrad in the laboratory system. From the momentum spectra of the deuterons, the final states D + π + and D + ϱ + have been identified. The angular distribution for these reactions are presented and compared with previous data at lower energies.

The process $e^+e^- \to \gamma\chi_{cJ}$ ($J$=1, 2) is studied via initial state radiation using 980 fb$^{-1}$ of data at and around the $\Upsilon(nS)$ ($n$=1, 2, 3, 4, 5) resonances collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy $e^+e^-$ collider. No significant signal is observed except from $\psi(2S)$ decays. Upper limits on the cross sections between $\sqrt{s}=3.80$ and $5.56~{\rm GeV}$ are determined at the 90% credibility level, which range from few pb to a few tens of pb. We also set upper limits on the decay rate of the vector charmonium [$\psi(4040$), $\psi(4160)$, and $\psi(4415)$] and charmoniumlike [$Y(4260)$, $Y(4360)$, and $Y(4660)$] states to $\gamma\chi_{cJ}$.

This paper reports studies of the reactions γp→ρ π π πp and γp→ρ ρ πp. In particular a peak is reported in the ρ ρ π mass spectrum with closely similar mass and width to those of the ω ρ π peak previously reported in the reaction γp→ω ρ πp. The ratio of production cross sections is found to be ρ ρ π/ω ρ π=0.96±0.19, in serious disagreement with the expectation from Vector Meson Dominance. A possible explanation is indicated.