Results are reported based on a study of 3114 π−p events at 205 GeV/c in the National Accelerator Laboratory 30-in. bubble chamber. The measured π−p total and elastic cross sections are 24.0 ± 0.5 and 3.0 ± 0.3 mb, respectively. The elastic differential cross section has a slope of 9.0 ± 0.7 GeV−2 for 0.03≤−t≤0.6 GeV2. The average charged-particle multiplicity for the inelastic events is 8.02 ± 0.12.

From measurements of proton-proton elastic scattering at very small momentum transfers where the nuclear and Coulomb amplitudes interfere, we have deduced values of ρ, the ratio of the real to the imaginary forward nuclear amplitude, for energies from 50 to 400 GeV. We find that ρ increases from -0.157 ± 0.012 at 51.5 GeV to +0.039 ± 0.012 at 393 GeV, crossing zero at 280 ± 60 GeV.

We have measured π+p, π−p, and pp elastic scattering at an incident-beam momentum of 200 GeV/c in the region of −t, four-momentum transfer squared, from 0.021 to 0.665 (GeV/c)2. The data allow an investigation of the t dependence of the logarithmic forward slope parameter b≡(ddt)(lndσdt). In addition to standard parametrization, we use functional forms suggested by the additive quark model to fit the measured dσdt distributions. Within the context of this model we estimate the size of the clothed quark in the pion and proton. Limits on the elastic-scattering amplitude derived from unitarity bounds are checked, and no violations are observed.

We have measured the elastic cross section for pp, p¯p, π+p, π−p, K+p, and K−p scattering at incident momenta of 70, 100, 125, 150, 175, and 200 GeV/c. The range of the four-momentum transfer squared t varied with the beam momentum from 0.0016≤−t≤0.36 (GeV/c)2 at 200 GeV/c to 0.0018≤−t≤0.0625 (GeV/c)2 at 70 GeV/c. The conventional parametrization of the t dependence of the nuclear amplitude by a simple exponential in t was found to be inadequate. An excellent fit to the data was obtained by a parametrization motivated by the additive quark model. Using this parametrization we determined the ratio of the real to the imaginary part of the nuclear amplitude by the Coulomb-interference method.

Single neutral pion production via muon antineutrino charged-current interactions in plastic scintillator (CH) is studied using the \minerva detector exposed to the NuMI low-energy, wideband antineutrino beam at Fermilab. Measurement of this process constrains models of neutral pion production in nuclei, which is important because the neutral-current analog is a background for $\bar{\nu}_e$ appearance oscillation experiments. The differential cross sections for $\pi^0$ momentum and production angle, for events with a single observed $\pi^0$ and no charged pions, are presented and compared to model predictions. These results comprise the first measurement of the $\pi^0$ kinematics for this process.

Two different nuclear-medium effects are isolated using a low three-momentum transfer subsample of neutrino-carbon scattering data from the MINERvA neutrino experiment. The observed hadronic energy in charged-current $\nu_\mu$ interactions is combined with muon kinematics to permit separation of the quasielastic and $\Delta$(1232) resonance processes. First, we observe a small cross section at very low energy transfer that matches the expected screening effect of long-range nucleon correlations. Second, additions to the event rate in the kinematic region between the quasielastic and $\Delta$ resonance processes are needed to describe the data. The data in this kinematic region also has an enhanced population of multi-proton final states. Contributions predicted for scattering from a nucleon pair have both properties; the model tested in this analysis is a significant improvement but does not fully describe the data. We present the results as a double-differential cross section to enable further investigation of nuclear models. Improved description of the effects of the nuclear environment are required by current and future neutrino oscillation experiments.

The MINERvA collaboration reports a novel study of neutrino-nucleus charged-current deep inelastic scattering (DIS) using the same neutrino beam incident on targets of polystyrene, graphite, iron, and lead. Results are presented as ratios of C, Fe, and Pb to CH. The ratios of total DIS cross sections as a function of neutrino energy and flux-integrated differential cross sections as a function of the Bjorken scaling variable x are presented in the neutrino-energy range of 5 - 50 GeV. Good agreement is found between the data and predicted ratios, based on charged-lepton nucleus scattering, at medium x and low neutrino energies. However, the data rate appears depleted in the vicinity of the nuclear shadowing region, x < 0.1. This apparent deficit, reflected in the DIS cross-section ratio at high neutrino energy , is consistent with previous MINERvA observations and with the predicted onset of nuclear shadowing with the the axial-vector current in neutrino scattering.

A search has been made for direct photon production in pBe interactions at 200 and 300 GeV/ c over the kinematic region 1.5 < P ⊥ < 4.0 GeV/ c and −0.7 < X F < 0 (90° < θ cms < 160°). An excess of single photons above that which is predicted from the measured π 0 and η 0 production is observed. Theratio of γ / π 0 production is calculated assuming that the excess arises from direct photon production. We find that this ratio averages 0.070 ± 0.025 (including systematic errors) in this region of X F and P ⊥ for our 200 and 300 GeV/ c data. We have used our measured value of the η / π 0 ratio of 0.47 ± 0.10 in the determination of the γ / π 0 ratio. The variation of γ / π 0 with X F , P ⊥ , X R and θ cms presented.

Measurements of recognized π0 production in p-Be collisions for 0.1<X⊥<0.5 and −0.8<XF<0.0 at 200, 300, and 400 GeV/c are presented. These invariant cross sections are fitted by Edσdp3=A(1−XR)MP⊥−N over this range of X⊥ and XF with M=4.88±0.14 and N=8.90±0.10 independent of energy. No significant evidence for breaking of this scaling is observed over this large kinematic region at these energies.

Production of K^{+} mesons in charged-current \nu_{\mu} interactions on plastic scintillator (CH) is measured using MINERvA exposed to the low-energy NuMI beam at Fermilab. Timing information is used to isolate a sample of 885 charged-current events containing a stopping K^{+} which decays at rest. The differential cross section in K^{+} kinetic energy, d\sigma/dT_{K}, is observed to be relatively flat between 0 and 500 MeV. Its shape is in good agreement with the prediction by the \textsc{genie} neutrino event generator when final-state interactions are included, however the data rate is lower than the prediction by 15\%.

The inclusive ϱ ° production cross section has been measured in the reaction π − p → π + π − X at 205 GeV/ c . We find σ ( ϱ ° ) = 13.5 ± 3.4 mb, with most of the production occuring in the central region. Assuming σ ( ϱ + ) ≈ σ ( ϱ − ) ≈ σ ( ϱ ° ), it is concluded that approximately one-third of the pions at this energy come from ϱ -decay.

A study of 205-GeV/c π−p interactions has been made with a 48 800-picture exposure in the bare Fermilab 30-inch hydrogen bubble chamber. The average number of charged particles produced per inelastic interaction is 7.99±0.06. The elastic cross section is 3.18±0.13 mb and the total cross section is 24.19±0.44 mb. The inclusive cross sections for neutral-particle production are: σ(γ)=171.3±15.3 mb, σ(KS0)=3.64±0.61 mb (x<0.3), σ(Λ)=1.71±0.34 mb (x<0.3), and σ(Λ¯)=0.59±0.23 mb (x<0.1). The average number of π0's produced per inelastic collision is consistent with a linear rise with the number of charged particles, and about equal to the number of produced π− or π+. The average number of K0's, Λ's, and Λ¯'s is consistent with very little dependence on the number of charged particles. General characteristics of neutral-particle production are presented and compared with other experiments. For each topology the produced neutral energy is ∼13 of the incident energy.

Nucleon structure functions obtained from neutrino and anti-neutrino scattering on iron nuclei at high energies (Ev=30 to 250 GeV) are presented. These results are compared with the results of other lepton-nucleon scattering experiments. The structure functions are used to test the validity of the Gross-Llewellyn-smith sum rule, which measures the number of valence quarks in the nucleons, and to obtain leading and second order QCD fits.

In 205 GeV / c π − p inelastic interactions, negative particles with transverse momentum greater than 1.0 GeV / c moving forward in the center of mass outnumber similar positive particles by a factor of 3.7 to 1, greatly in excess of the corresponding ratio for small transverse momentum. The asymmetry is reversed in the backward direction. The forward asymmetry is most prominent in 2-, 4-, and 6-prong interactions, but both forward and backward asymmetries are also substantial for higher multiplicity interactions.

The cross section for the reaction p¯N→μ+μ−X with muon pairs in the mass range 4<M<9 GeV/c2 and xF>0 was measured to be σ=0.104±0.005±0.008 nb/nucleon. The distributions dσdxF and M3dσdM were compared to the QCD-improved Drell-Yan model and to calculations including first-order QCD corrections, with use of deep-inelastic structure functions. Excellent agreement with the data was obtained if the calculations were multiplied by factors of 2.45 and 1.41, respectively.

We have studied muon pairs with an invariant mass between 4 and 9 GeV/c2 produced in p¯N and π−N interactions at an incident momentum of 125 GeV/c. The experiment was performed at Fermilab using a tungsten target and a special beam enriched to contain 18% antiprotons. We compare differential distributions as functions of the dimuon invariant mass, Feynman x, transverse momentum, and decay angles of the dimuon to the predictions of the Drell-Yan model including QCD corrections. Quark structure functions for the p¯ and π− are extracted. Comparisons of the antiproton data to the Drell-Yan model are significant because the cross sections depend principally on the valence-quark structure functions which are accurately determined by deep-inelastic scattering measurements. The measured absolute cross section (integrated over positive Feynman x and all transverse momenta) is 0.106±0.005±0.008 nb/nucleon for the p¯N interaction and 0.107±0.003±0.009 nb/nucleon for the π−N interaction, where the quoted errors are statistical and systematic, respectively. Normalization (K) factors that are required to bring the naive Drell-Yan and first-order QCD predictions into agreement with the measurements are extracted, and the uncertainties involved in such comparisons are examined.

The energy dependence of the cross section for neutrino- and antineutrino-nucleon charged-current interactions has been determined from data taken in Fermilab's dichromatic neutrino beam. σνE=(0.669±0.003±0.024)×10−38 cm2/GeV and σν¯E=(0.340±0.003±0.02)×10−38 cm2/GeV are found. These results are higher than some previous measurements.

Measurements of flux-normalized neutrino and antineutrino total charged-current cross sections (σ) in the energy range 45<E<205 GeV are presented. We see no evidence for the anomalous sharp rise in σν¯σν reported by earlier authors. The neutrino cross section rises linearly with energy and with σE about 18% smaller than other measurements below 10 GeV. The average antineutrino slope at 55 GeV is consistent with measurements at low energy; however, a (20 ± 10)% increase is indicated over our energy range.

We present results on flux-normalized neutrino and antineutrino cross sections near y=0 from data obtained in the Fermilab narrow-band beam. We conclude that values of σ0=dσdy|y=0 are consistent with rising linearly with energy over the range 45<~Eν<~20.5 GeV. The separate averages of ν and ν¯, each measured to 4%, are equal to well within the errors. The best fit for the combined data gives σ0E=(0.719±0.035)×10−38 cm2/GeV at an average Eν of 100 GeV.

In a 48 000-picture exposure of the Fermilab 30-inch hydrogen bubble chamber to a 205 GeV/ c π − beam, we have measured 169 events of the reaction, π − p → π − π + π − p, with a cross section of 635 ± 61 μ b. This reaction proceeds almost entirely via low mass π − → 3 π and p → p ππ dissociation. Factorization is satisfied for p → pππ dissociation in πp and pp interactions.

The slope b(s) of the forward diffraction peak of p−p elastic scattering has been measured in the momentum-transfer-squared range 0.005≲|t|≲0.09 (GeV/c)2 and at incident proton energies from 8 to 400 GeV. We find that b(s) increases with s, and in the interval 100≲s≲750 (GeV)2 it can be fitted by the form b(s)=b0+2α′lns with b0=8.23±0.27, α′=0.278±0.024 (GeV/c)−2.

Inclusive and semi-inclusive ρ 0 production are studied in 205 GeV/ c pp interactions. The number of ρ 0 per inelastic event is 0.33 ± 0.06, so that (13 ± 2)% of the π − are products of ϱ 0 decay. The ρ 0 are found to be produced mainly near y = 0 and tend to have larger average transverse momentum than do pions.

The first direct measurement of electron-neutrino quasielastic and quasielastic-like scattering on hydrocarbon in the few-GeV region of incident neutrino energy has been carried out using the MINERvA detector in the NuMI beam at Fermilab. The flux-integrated differential cross sections in electron production angle, electron energy and $Q^{2}$ are presented. The ratio of the quasielastic, flux-integrated differential cross section in $Q^{2}$ for $\nu_{e}$ with that of similarly-selected $\nu_{\mu}$-induced events from the same exposure is used to probe assumptions that underpin conventional treatments of charged-current $\nu_{e}$ interactions used by long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. The data are found to be consistent with lepton universality and are well-described by the predictions of the neutrino event generator GENIE.

The charged-particle multiplicity distribution in 205−GeVc proton-proton interactions is presented. In addition, the total diffractive contributions to each charged multiplicity are estimated assuming a factorizable Pomeron.

We present measured hadron energy distributions for the reactions ν(ν¯)+N→ν(ν¯)+hadrons at high energy, as well as for the similar charged-current interactions. Insofar as possible, the determination of these distributions avoids any a priori assumptions about either the neutral-current or the charged-current interactions. We further analyze the neutral-current distributions within the framework of specific models, particularly the scaling model, to obtain a positive-helicity component P=0.36±0.10, which lies between pure V−A and pure V or A, and a coupling strength of g0=0.31±0.03 relative to the charged-current interaction. These coupling parameters agree well with the predictions of the Weinberg-Salam model with sin2θW=0.33±0.07.