The STAR Collaboration reports on the photoproduction of $\pi^+\pi^-$ pairs in gold-gold collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV/nucleon-pair. These pion pairs are produced when a nearly-real photon emitted by one ion scatters from the other ion. We fit the $\pi^+\pi^-$ invariant mass spectrum with a combination of $\rho$ and $\omega$ resonances and a direct $\pi^+\pi^-$ continuum. This is the first observation of the $\omega$ in ultra-peripheral collisions, and the first measurement of $\rho-\omega$ interference at energies where photoproduction is dominated by Pomeron exchange. The $\omega$ amplitude is consistent with the measured $\gamma p\rightarrow \omega p$ cross section, a classical Glauber calculation and the $\omega\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-$ branching ratio. The $\omega$ phase angle is similar to that observed at much lower energies, showing that the $\rho-\omega$ phase difference does not depend significantly on photon energy. The $\rho^0$ differential cross section $d\sigma/dt$ exhibits a clear diffraction pattern, compatible with scattering from a gold nucleus, with 2 minima visible. The positions of the diffractive minima agree better with the predictions of a quantum Glauber calculation that does not include nuclear shadowing than with a calculation that does include shadowing.

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 TOTEM experiment has made a precise measurement of the elastic proton-proton differential cross-section at the centre-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 8 TeV based on a high-statistics data sample obtained with the beta* = 90 optics. Both the statistical and systematic uncertainties remain below 1%, except for the t-independent contribution from the overall normalisation. This unprecedented precision allows to exclude a purely exponential differential cross-section in the range of four-momentum transfer squared 0.027 < |t| < 0.2 GeV^2 with a significance greater than 7 sigma. Two extended parametrisations, with quadratic and cubic polynomials in the exponent, are shown to be well compatible with the data. Using them for the differential cross-section extrapolation to t = 0, and further applying the optical theorem, yields total cross-section estimates of (101.5 +- 2.1) mb and (101.9 +- 2.1) mb, respectively, in agreement with previous TOTEM measurements.

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.

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.

The reactionsπ−p→K0∑0(1385) andπ−p→K+∑−(1385) are studied at an incident momentum of 3.95 GeV/c using data from a high statistics bubble chamber experiment corresponding to approximately 90 events/μb. The total and differential cross sections and the density matrix elements of the Σ(1385) are presented. The results are compared with those obtained for the related processesπpp→K+∑+(1385) and\(K^ -p \to \pi ^ \mp\sum ^ \pm(1385)\) in this energy range. Evidence is presented for the existence of production mechanisms with exotic exchanges in thet channel.

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.

We present differential cross sections andΔ++ spin density matrix elements for the photoproduction processγp→π−Δ++ and differential cross sections for the processγp→π+Δ0. The incident photon energy dependence is studied and a comparison is made with previous experiments and with the predictions of a theoretical model.

The reactionsπ−p→K0(890) Λ,K0(890)Σ0 andK0(890)Σ0 are studied at an incident momentum of 3.95 GeV/c using data from a high statistics bubble chamber experiment corresponding to ∼90 events/μb. The differential cross sections, density matrix elements of the vector meson and hyperon polarizations are presented. A transversity amplitude analysis is performed for each of the reactions. The results are compared with those obtained for the SU(3) related processesK−p→ϕΔ, ϕΣ0, ϕΣ0(1385) andϱ−Σ+(1385) and with predictions of the additive quark model and SU(6) sum rules.

A measurement is presented of elastic deeply virtual Compton scattering \gamma* p \to \gamma p made using e^+ p collision data corresponding to a luminosity of 46.5 pb^{-1}, taken with the H1 detector at HERA. The cross section is measured as a function of the photon virtuality, Q^2, the invariant mass of the \gamma* p system, W, and for the first time, differentially in the squared momentum transfer at the proton vertex, t, in the kinematic range 2 < Q^2 < 80 GeV^2, 30 < W < 140 GeV and |t| < 1 GeV^2. QCD based calculations at next-to-leading order using generalized parton distributions can describe the data, as can colour dipole model predictions.