Measurements are reported of the differential cross section for the reaction π−p→π−p,π0n,andηn at three angles close to 180° and for incident momenta in the range 0.6 to 1.0 GeV/c. The three measurements were made simultaneously at 1% intervals of beam momentum. The data on elastic scattering resolve a discrepancy between two earlier experiments. They also show clearly the effect of the opening of the ηn channel. The charge-exchange data show that I-spin bounds are not violated in the kinematic region covered. The ηn data can be adequately described with known s-channel resonances. No evidence for narrow N*'s is seen in any channel.

The interactions of 775 MeV (kinetic energy) π−-mesons in a hydrogen bubble chamber have been studied. Total and partial crosssections have been determined with the following results: σ (total) = (39.0±1.6) mb, σ (elastic)=(14.8±0.7) mb, σ (π− + p → all neutrals) = (9.0 ± 0.5) mb, σ (π− + p = π− + π+ + n) = (9.8 ± 0.5) mb, and σ (π− + p = π− + p + π0) = (4.8 ± 0.3) mb. The elastic-scattering angular distribution has been fitted with a Legendre polynomial series terminated at the fifth order. Various angular and effective-mass distributions of single-π production are presented and discussed in terms of the Olsson-Yodh and O.P.E. models.

Report on the investigation of interactions in π−p collisions at a pion momentum of 1.59 GeV/c, by means of the 50 cm Saclay liquid hydrogen bubble chamber, operating in a magnetic field of 17.5 kG. The results obtained concern essentially the elastic scattering and the inelastic scattering accompanied by the production of either a single pion in π−p→ pπ−π0 and nπ−π+ interactions, or by more than one pion in four-prong events. The observed angular distribution for the elastic scattering in the diffraction region, can be approximated by an exponential law. From the extrapolated value, thus obtained for the forward scattering, one gets σel= (9.65±0.30) mb. Effective mass spectra of π−π0 and π−π+ dipions are given in case of one-pion production. Each of them exhibits the corresponding ρ− or ρ0 resonances in the region of ∼ 29μ2 (μ = mass of the charged pion). The ρ peaks are particularly conspicuous for low momentum transfer (Δ2) events. The ρ0 distribution presents a secondary peak at ∼31μ2 due probably to the ω0 → π−π+ process. The branching ratio (ω0→ π+π−)/(ω0→ π+π− 0) is estimated to be ∼ 7%. The results are fairly well interpreted in the frame of the peripheral interaction according to the one-pion exchange (OPE) model, Up to values of Δ2/μ2∼10. In particular, the ratio ρ−/ρ0 is of the order of 0.5, as predicted by this model. Furthermore, the distribution of the Treiman-Yang angle is compatible with an isotropic one inside the ρ. peak. The distribution of\(\sigma _{\pi ^ + \pi ^ - } \), as calculated by the use of the Chew-Low formula assumed to be valid in the physical region of Δ2, gives a maximum which is appreciably lower than the value of\(12\pi \tilde \lambda ^2 = 120 mb\) expected for a resonant elastic ππ scattering in a J=1 state at the peak of the ρ. However, a correcting factor to the Chew-Low formula, introduced by Selleri, gives a fairly good agreement with the expected value. Another distribution, namely the Δ2 distribution, at least for Δ2 < 10 μ2, agrees quite well with the peripheral character of the interaction involving the ρ resonance. π− angular distributions in the rest frame of the ρ exhibit a different behaviour for the ρ− and for the ρ0. Whereas the first one is symmetrical, as was already reported in a previous paper, the latter shows a clear forward π− asymmetry. The main features of the four-prong results are: 1) the occurrence of the 3/2 3/2 (ρπ+) isobar in π−p → pπ+π−π− events and 2) the possible production of the ω0→ π+π−π0 resonance in π−p→ pπ−π+π−π0 events. No ρ’s were observed in four-prong events.

We have analyzed the two-prong final states in π+p interactions at 3.9 GeVc. Our result for elastic scattering is σ (elastic) = 6.50±0.1 mb (statistical error only). We find the elastic slope to be 6.61±0.14 (GeVc)−2. We find the elastic forward cross section to be 40.0±1.4 mb(GeVc)2. We have applied a longitudinal-momentum analysis to the one-pion-production channel. We find the cross section for the reaction π++p→π++π0+p to be 2.30±0.06 mb and that for π++p→π++π++n to be 1.45±0.05 mb. For resonance-production cross sections in these channels we find Δ(1236)=0.60±0.07 mb, ρ(760)=0.86±0.06 mb, and diffraction dissociation = 1.69±0.11 mb. We find that we can satisfactorily fit all distributions in the one-pion-production channel without assuming any phase-space production. In the missing-mass channel we observe dominant Δ++(1236) production plus evidence for A2+ production.

Measurements of π±p elastic differential cross-sections have been performed in the forward direction, using a missing-mass spark chamber spectrometer. The films have been seanned by an automatic apparatus. A phase-shift analysis of the experimental data has been done, leading to three solutions. Various experiments are proposed in order to resolve the ambiguities.

The differential cross section for elastic scattering of 3.63−GeVc π− mesons on protons was studied with a hydrogen bubble chamber, the emphasis being on large-angle scattering. From 90 to 180° in the barycentric system, the cross section is roughly flat with an average value of 2.7±1.0 μb/sr. Near and at 180°, there may be a slight peak of magnitude 10±6 μb/sr. But if such a peak exists, it is only one-third to one-fourth the size of the 180° peak found in 4.0 GeVc π++p elastic scattering. In addition to comparison with other π−+p and π++p large-angle elastic-scattering measurements, this measurement is compared with large-angle p+p elastic scattering. In the forward hemisphere a small peak or a plateau exists at cos θ*=+0.60. This appears to be a second diffraction maximum such as has been found in lower-energy π+p elastic scattering. A survey of indications of such a second diffraction maximum in other π+p measurements shows that it always occurs in the vicinity of −t=1.2 (GeVc)2, where t is the square of the four-momentum transfer. As the incident momentum increases, the relative size of this second maximum decreases.

We measured elastic-scattering angular distributions for π++p scattering at 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 BeV/c using spark chambers to detect scattered pions and protons. A bump that decreases in amplitude with increasing momentum is observed in the backward hemisphere in the 1.5- and 2.0-BeV/c distributions, but is not observed in the 2.5-BeV/c distributions. It appears reasonable to attribute this phenomenon to the 1.45-BeV/c resonance observed in the π++p total cross section. The data are compared with π−+p data and are found to support the theoretical prediction that the scattering cross sections for both charge states should become equal at high energies. We fit the angular distributions with a power series in cosθ*, and compare the extrapolated values for the scattering cross section in the backward direction with the calculation of the neutron-exchange pole contribution to the cross section. The "elementary" neutron-pole term contribution is calculated to be 90 mb/sr at 2.0 BeV/c, in violent disagreement with the extrapolated value, ≈0.5 mb/sr.