We report on the measurement of the $\gamma p \rightarrow J/\psi p$ cross section from $E_\gamma = 11.8$ GeV down to the threshold at $8.2$ GeV using a tagged photon beam with the GlueX experiment. We find the total cross section falls toward the threshold less steeply than expected from two-gluon exchange models. The differential cross section $d\sigma /dt$ has an exponential slope of $1.67 \pm 0.39$ GeV$^{-2}$ at $10.7$ GeV average energy. The LHCb pentaquark candidates $P_c^+$ can be produced in the $s$-channel of this reaction. We see no evidence for them and set model-dependent upper limits on their branching fractions $\mathcal{B}(P_c^+ \rightarrow J/\psi p)$ and cross sections $\sigma(\gamma p \to P_c^+)\times\mathcal{B}(P_c^+ \to J/\psi p) $.

Exclusive photoproduction of $\rho^0(770)$ mesons is studied using the H1 detector at the $ep$ collider HERA. A sample of about 900000 events is used to measure single- and double-differential cross sections for the reaction $\gamma p \to \pi^{+}\pi^{-}Y$. Reactions where the proton stays intact (${m_Y{=}m_p}$) are statistically separated from those where the proton dissociates to a low-mass hadronic system ($m_p{<}m_Y{<}10$ GeV). The double-differential cross sections are measured as a function of the invariant mass $m_{\pi\pi}$ of the decay pions and the squared $4$-momentum transfer $t$ at the proton vertex. The measurements are presented in various bins of the photon-proton collision energy $W_{\gamma p}$. The phase space restrictions are $0.5 < m_{\pi\pi} < 2.2$ GeV, ${\vert t\vert < 1.5}$ GeV${}^2$, and ${20 < W_{\gamma p} < 80}$ GeV. Cross section measurements are presented for both elastic and proton-dissociative scattering. The observed cross section dependencies are described by analytic functions. Parametrising the $m_{\pi\pi}$ dependence with resonant and non-resonant contributions added at the amplitude level leads to a measurement of the $\rho^{0}(770)$ meson mass and width at $m_\rho = 770.8\ {}^{+2.6}_{-2.7}$ (tot) MeV and $\Gamma_\rho = 151.3\ {}^{+2.7}_{-3.6}$ (tot) MeV, respectively. The model is used to extract the $\rho^0(770)$ contribution to the $\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ cross sections and measure it as a function of $t$ and $W_{\gamma p}$. In a Regge asymptotic limit in which one Regge trajectory $\alpha(t)$ dominates, the intercept $\alpha(t{=}0) = 1.0654\ {}^{+0.0098}_{-0.0067}$ (tot) and the slope $\alpha^\prime(t{=}0) = 0.233\ {}^{+0.067 }_{-0.074 }$ (tot) GeV${}^{-2}$ of the $t$ dependence are extracted for the case $m_Y{=}m_p$.

The first measurement of the cross section for coherent J/$\psi$ photoproduction as a function of $|t|$, the square of the momentum transferred between the incoming and outgoing target nucleus, is presented. The data were measured with the ALICE detector in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV with the J/$\psi$ produced in the central rapidity region $|y|<0.8$, which corresponds to the small Bjorken-$x$ range $(0.3-1.4) \times 10^{-3}$. The measured $|t|$-dependence is not described by computations based only on the Pb nuclear form factor, while the photonuclear cross section is better reproduced by models including shadowing according to the leading-twist approximation, or gluon-saturation effects from the impact-parameter dependent Balitsky-Kovchegov equation. These new results are therefore a valid tool to constrain the relevant model parameters and to investigate the transverse gluonic structure at very low Bjorken-$x$.

A measurement of the total $pp$ cross section at the LHC at $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV is presented. An integrated luminosity of $500$ $\mu$b$^{-1}$ was accumulated in a special run with high-$\beta^{\star}$ beam optics to measure the differential elastic cross section as a function of the Mandelstam momentum transfer variable $t$. The measurement is performed with the ALFA sub-detector of ATLAS. Using a fit to the differential elastic cross section in the $-t$ range from $0.014$ GeV$^2$ to $0.1$ GeV$^2$ to extrapolate $t\rightarrow 0$, the total cross section, $\sigma_{\mathrm{tot}}(pp\rightarrow X)$, is measured via the optical theorem to be: $\sigma_{\mathrm{tot}}(pp\rightarrow X) = {96.07} \; \pm 0.18 \; ({{stat.}}) \pm 0.85 \; ({{exp.}}) \pm 0.31 \; ({extr.}) \; {mb} \;,$ where the first error is statistical, the second accounts for all experimental systematic uncertainties and the last is related to uncertainties in the extrapolation $t\rightarrow 0$. In addition, the slope of the exponential function describing the elastic cross section at small $t$ is determined to be $B = 19.74 \pm 0.05 \; ({{stat.}}) \pm 0.23 \; ({{syst.}}) \; {GeV}^{-2}$.

Using an 11-GeV bremsstrahlung beam and the SLAC 20-GeV spectrometer, we have measured K + missing mass spectra from hydrogen and deuterium at five angles with momentum transfer squared ranging from 0.025 to 0.46 GeV 2 . Steps in the spectra as a function of missing mass were found corresponding to production of Λ , Σ , Σ 1385 + Λ 1405 and Λ 1520 . The ratio Σ − and Σ 0 production is not consistent with pure isotopic spin 1 2 in the t -channel for the reaction γ N→K + Σ . The cross sections for γ N → K + Σ 1385 compared with γ N→ πΔ violate an SU(3) prediction.

Measurements on large-angle photoproduction of π+ mesons from hydrogen have been made at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center for photon energies between 5 and 15.5 GeV and u values from +0.05 to -1.8 (GeV/c)2. The measured cross section decreased with energy approximately as k−3, showing no shrinkage in this range of u values. Furthermore, it had a smooth u dependence with no sign of a dip at u≃−0.15 (GeV/c)2 as would be expected from nucleon exchange. π−Δ++ production was measured at 5 GeV and shows a rapid decrease with increasing |u|.

Photoproduction is studied at 2.8 and 4.7 GeV using a linearly polarized monoenergetic photon beam in a hydrogen bubble chamber. We discuss the experimental procedure, the determination of channel cross sections, and the analysis of the channel γp→pπ+π−. A model-independent analysis of the ρ0-decay angular distribution allows us to measure nine independent density-matrix elements. From these we find that the reaction γp→pρ0 proceeds almost completely through natural parity exchange for squared momentum transfers |t|<1 GeV2 and that the ρ production mechanism is consistent with s-channel c.m. helicity conservation for |t|<0.4 GeV2. A cross section for the production of π+π− pairs in the s-channel c.m. helicity-conserving p-wave state is determined. The ρ mass shape is studied as a function of momentum transfer and is found to be inconsistent with a t-independent Ross-Stodolsky factor. Using a t-dependent parametrization of the ρ0 mass shape we derive a phenomenological ρ0 cross section. We compare our phenomenological ρ0 cross section with other experiments and find good agreement for 0.05<|t|<1 GeV2. We discuss the discrepancies in the various determinations of the forward differential cross section. We study models for ρ0 photoproduction and find that the Söding model best describes the data. Using the Söding model we determine a ρ0 cross section. We determine cross sections and nine density-matrix elements for γp→Δ++π−. The parity asymmetry for Δ++ production is incompatible with simple one-pion exchange. We compare Δ++ production with models.

A systematic analysis is presented on the reaction K + p → K ∗0 (890) Δ ++ for nine incident momenta between 4.6–16.0 GeV/ c . Cross sections, differential cross sections and vector meson single density matrix elements are given. As a function of energy, little if any change is observed in either the shapes of the differential cross sections or in the values of the density matrix elements. The data are interpreted in terms of current ideas on t -channel exchange mechanisms.

Exclusive photoproduction cross sections have been measured for the processes γp→π+n, γp→π0p, γp→π−Δ++, γp→ρ0p, γp→K+Λ, and γp→K+Σ0 at large t and u values at several energies for each process between 4 and 7.5 GeV. These measurements taken together with past data taken at small values of t and u provide complete angular distributions. The data show the usual small t and u peaks and a central region in which the cross section decreases approximately as s−7. The results are discussed within the context of parton or constituent models.

We present density-matrix elements and single-spin correlations for the reaction p↑p→pπ+n at 3, 4, 6, and 11.75 GeV/c, using both longitudinal and transverse beam polarizations. For small momentum transfers, the spin correlations are mainly due to off-shell π+p elastic scattering, while for larger t there are large polarization effects associated with the production dynamics for p↑p→Δ++n. Comparison of longitudinal and transverse polarization correlations suggests that the Δ++-production spin effects are due mainly to unnatural-parity exchanges. We present a model-dependent amplitude analysis, and extract the energy dependence of the natural- and unnatural-parity-exchange contributions.