Result of cross section measurements for the reaction π − p → π − π + n are presented. They cover a range of incident pion momenta between 295 and 450 MeV/ c . It is the first time that the cross section has been measured so close to threshold. The experiment was performed with Omicron, a large-solid-angle spectrometer, which enables a measurement of the full set of kinematic variables. In the region of overlap there is a good agreement with other experiments. The extracted value for the chiral-symmetry-breaking parameter ξ is seen to be largely extrapolition dependent but the measured value of -0.5±0.8 leaves Weinberg's prediction of ξ =0 the only remaining choice.

A full-kinematics measurement of the π − p→ π − p π 0 reaction in the incident π − momentum region from 295 to 450 MeV/ c is presented. The measurement was performed with the OMICRON spectrometer at the CERN synchrocyclotron.

The reaction π+p→π+π+n was studied in the vicinity of the reaction threshold at ten incident pion beam momenta from 297 MeV/c to 480 MeV/c. From data angular distributions, invariant mass spectra and integrated cross-sections were deduced. The chiral symmetry breaking parameter as determined by this reaction equals to ξ=1.56±0.26±0.39, where the first error is experimental, while the latter reflects the uncertainty in the ansatz used in the extrapolation to the reaction threshold. A comparison with the other reaction channels of the reaction πp→ππN indicates that a single parameter (ξ) is not sufficient to describe low energy ππ interactions.

Reaction π−p→π0π0n has been measured with high statistics in the beam momentum range 270–750MeV∕c. The data were obtained using the Crystal Ball multiphoton spectrometer, which has 93% of 4π solid angle coverage. The dynamics of the π−p→π0π0n reaction and the dependence on the beam energy are displayed in total cross sections, Dalitz plots, invariant-mass spectra, and production angular distributions. Special attention is paid to the evaluation of the acceptance that is needed for the precision determination of the total cross section σt(π−p→π0π0n). The energy dependence of σt(π−p→π0π0n) shows a shoulder at the Roper resonance [i.e., the N(1440)12+], and there is also a maximum near the N(1520)32−. It illustrates the importance of these two resonances to the π0π0 production process. The Dalitz plots are highly nonuniform; they indicate that the π0π0n final state is dominantly produced via the π0Δ0(1232) intermediate state. The invariant-mass spectra differ much from the phase-space distributions. The production angular distributions are also different from the isotropic distribution, and their structure depends on the beam energy. For beam momenta above 550MeV∕c, the density distribution in the Dalitz plots strongly depends on the angle of the outgoing dipion system (or equivalently on the neutron angle). The role of the f0(600) meson (also known as the σ) in π0π0n production remains controversial.

Total cross-section measurements of the π+p→π+π+n reaction at pion kinetic energies of 180, 184, 190, and 200 MeV are reported. The threshold value for the amplitude a(π+π+) as well as the s-wave, isospin 2, ππ scattering length a20 were determined. The results were found to be in agreement with chiral perturbation theory and inconsistent with the calculations of Jacob and Scadron and the model of dominance by quark loop anomalies.

Integral cross sections for π + p interaction have been measured between 125.9 and 201.7 MeV using the transmission method. Over this energy range the results are in very good agreement with predictions made with currently accepted phase shifts. These results are also consistent with similar measurements at lower energies when the dispersion relation constrained Karlsruhe phase shifts are used.

The total cross section for the π−p→π−π+n reaction has been measured at incident pion kinetic energies of 200, 190, 184, and 180 MeV. In addition, the π+p→π+π+n reaction was measured at 200 and 184 MeV. A fit of the cross sections by heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory yields values of 8.5±0.6(mπ−3) and 2.5±0.1(mπ−3) for the reaction matrix elements A10 and A32, which correspond to values for the s-wave isospin-0 and isospin-2 π−π scattering lengths of a0=0.23±0.08(mπ−1) and a2=−0.031±0.008(mπ−1), respectively.

The polarized target asymmetry AN for π−p→→γn has been measured by coincident detection of the γ and the neutron at several angles across the Δ resonace energy region. A high-resolution NaI γ spectrometer together with good time-of-flight information for the neutron resulted in excellent separation of this radiative capture reaction from the much higher cross-section charge exchange reaction π−p→→π0n. Statistical uncertainties are ΔAN=0.02-0.04, representing a significant improvement over previous results. The new data are discussed in the context of recent theoretical models.

We have measured total cross sections for the reaction π+p→π+π−p at incident pion kinetic energies of 190, 200, 220, 240, and 260 MeV. We use this result to deduce a new value of the chiral symmetry breaking parameter, ξ=-0.25±0.10, in a global constrained fit of the five ππN near-threshold amplitudes. Consequently, we report new soft pion model values for the s-wave ππ scattering lengths.

Measured values of the differential cross section for pion-nucleon charge exchange are presented at momenta 148, 174, 188, 212, 238, 271, 298, and 323 MeV/c, a region dominated by the Delta resonance. Complete angular distributions were obtained using the Crystal Ball detector at the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). Statistical uncertainties of the differential cross sections are typically 2-6%, exceptions being the results at the lowest momentum and at the most forward measurements of the five lowest momenta. We estimate the systematic uncertainties to be 3-6%.