A description is given of an experiment to study elastic scattering of π ± , K ± and p on protons at c.m. scattering angles from 45° to 100° at incident laboratory momenta 20 GeV/ c and 30 GeV/ c . The corresponding t range is from −6.2 (GeV/ c ) 2 to −28 (GeV/ c ) 2 . There are no previous observations for these reactions in this t range. High intensity and large geometrical acceptance were required in order to measure the low cross sections. The experiment used a double-arm spectrometer. MWPCs were used for reconstruction, and threshold and differential Čerenkov counters for identification. Scintillation counters, Čerenkov counters and a hadron calorimeter were used in the trigger. The trigger logic utilized specially designed matrices and a hard wired microprocessor. The π − p elastic scattering cross sections follow approximately the dimensional counting rule from 3.5 GeV/ c .and up to 30 GeV/ c . The cross sections decrease by seven orders of magnitude in this energy range. The data is compared to quark models. None of these models give a comprehensive description of the results. However, some modifications to these models improve their consistency with the data.

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Results are presented from experiment WA7 at the CERN SPS, which has measured the elastic differential cross sections of π ± p, K ± p, p p and pp at incident momen ta of 20, 30 and 50 GeV/ c . The measurements cover the momentum transfer range 0.5 < | t | < 8 (GeV/ c ) 2 , corresponding to c.m. scattering angles between 10° and 50°. The experimental set-up, trigger logic and data analysis are described. The experimental results are compared with existing meson-proton and nucleon-proton data at lower and higher energies covering the medium- and large-| t | region. Some prominent models and their predictions for elastic scattering at WA7 energies and beyond are reviewed, with emphasis on geometrical scaling, factorizing eikonal models, lowest-order QCD and other dynamical exchange-type models. Results for p p two-body annihilation into π − π + and K − K + at 30 and 50 GeV/ c , obtained in parallel with the elastic p p data, are also presented.

The p p elastic differential cross section at 50 GeV/c has been measured in a two-arm spectrometer experiment at the CERN SPS. The | t | range covered extends from 0.7 to 5 (GeV/c. A pronounced dip-bump structure is observed with a sharp minimum at | t | = 1.5 (GeV/ c ) 2 .

Elastic cross-section measurements are presented for π ± −p at 20 GeV/ c and π − −p at 30 GeV/ c incident momenta in the large angle region (50° to 90° in the c.m. system). The data are compared with published lower energy elastic cross sections. A test is made of the dimensional counting rules for π ± −p elastic scattering and some indication of a deviation from this rule is observed in the π − −p case. A comparison is also made with the predictions of the constituent interchange model. Although the broad features of the predictions are confirmed, there are some important discrepancies. Finally, the predictions of the model due to Preparata and Soffer are also compared with the new data.

The p p elastic differential cross section at 30 GeV/ c incident momentum has been measured in a two-arm spectrometer experiment (WA7) at the CERN SPS. The | t |-range covered extends from 0.5 to 5.8 (GeV/ c ) 2 . A pronounced dip-bump structure is observed, with a sharp minimum around | t | ≈ 1.7 (GeV/ c ) 2 . The results are compared with existing p p data at lower energies and with our earlier p p data at 50 GeV/ c . A number of model predictions are discussed. We also compare the p p 30 GeV/ c differential cross section with that of pp at the same momentum. Finally, the energy dependence of the p p fixed-| t | differential cross in the incident momentum range 3.6 to 50 GeV/ c is presented.

We have measured the differential cross-section for the reaction p p → π + Λ − at 5 GeV /c , the π + being in t he cm angular range 0.47 < cos θ p π + cm < 0.98 , corresponding to 0.12 < − t < 2.40 (GeV/ c ) 2 . The angular distribution has a forward peak with a differential cross-section d σ d ω = 4.1 ± 1.6 μ b / sr for 0.94 < cos θ p π + cm < 0.96 .

We present results of measurements of K ± p and p p elastic scattering and of the annihilation reactions p p →π + π − and p p → K + K − at an incident laboratory momentum of 5 GeV/ c . Nearly complete angular distributions were obtained. Results are also presented for π -meson proton elastic scattering in the momentum transfer ranges 2 < − t < 8 (GeV/ c ) 2 (for π + ) and 0.16 < − t < 7 (GeV/ c ) 2 (for π − ). All measurements were done in one experimental geometry. The measured differential cross sections range from 10 to 10 −5 mb/(GeV/ c ) 2 .

A measurement of the proton-proton elastic differential cross section at 50 GeV/ c incident momentum in the momentum transfer range 0.8<| t |<4.0 (GeV/ c ) 2 is presented. The data are compared to pp data at lower and higher energies, and to some model predictions.

K + p elastic scattering has been measured over nearly the whole angular range at an incident momentum of 10 GeV/ c . The differential cross-section is found to decrease smoothly in the forward direction to - t ≈ 2 (GeV/ c ) 2 , where there is a change in slope, followed by a further decrease to - t ≈ 6 (GeV/ c ) 2 . Around 90° c.m. the cross-section is approximately 1 nb/(GeV/ c ) 2 , which is more than two orders of magnitude lower than at 5 GeV/ c . The backward peak has no structure.

Angular distributions of π + and K + p elastic scattering have been measured for an incident beam momentum of 10.0 GeV/ c . For π + p elastic scattering almost the complete angular distribution was measured. The angular distribution of proton-proton elastic scattering was measured for an incident momentum of 9.0 GeV/ c in the interval of the four-momentum transfer squared from 0.7 (GeV/ c ) 2 to 5.0 (GeV/ v ) 2 . For π + p elastic scattering the structures at − t = 2.8 (GeV/ c ) 2 and − t = 4.8 (GeV/ c ) 2 are less pronounced than at lower momenta. The cross section for scattering at 90° in the c.m. system is of the order of 1 nb/GeV/ c ) 2 . For K + p elastic scattering is a break in the angular distribution around − t = 3 (GeV/ c ) 2 . The differential cross sections for proton-proton elastic scattering decrease smoothly with increasing momentum transfers.

Antiproton-proton elastic scattering has been measured at 5 GeV/c. A total of 30 000 events were observed in the angular range 17° < θ cm < 136°, corresponding to 0.3 < − t < 7.7 (GeV/ c 2 ). In addition to the known dip at − t = 0.5 ( GeV / c ) 2 , we observe a structure at about − t = 2 (GeV/ c ) 2 and a backward peak with a slope4.1 ± 0.6 (GeV/ c ) 2 . The extrapolated differential cross-section at u = 0 is 1.3 ± 0.8 μ b/(GeV/ c ) 2 .

The differential cross-section for 5 GeV/ cπ + p and π − p elastic scattering have been measured in the c.m. angular region 27° < θ cm < 130° corresponding to 0.5 < | t | < 7.8 (GeV/ c ) 2 . Dips are observed in both reactions at − t = 2.8 and 4.8 (GeV/ c ) 2 where the cross-sections are approximately 0.1 μ b/(GeV/ c ) 2 .

The angular distributions for the two annihilation channels p ̄ p →π + π − and p ̄ p → K + K − have been measured at 6.2 GeV/ c . The two-pion channel shows peripheral peaks for π + and π − going forward, and the two-kaon channel shows a peripheral peak for the K − going forward. The results have been compared with the line-reversed elastic backward scattering reactions and also with a constituent interchange model.

Data on 6.2 GeV/ c π − p and K − p elastic scattering cross sections are presented in the range 0.3 < − t < 10.7 (GeV/ c ) 2 .

Antiproton-proton elastic scattering data at 6.2 GeV/ c in the range 0.3 (GeV/ c ) 2 ⩽ − t ⩽ 10.0 (GeV/ c ) 2 is presented. The experiment, using spark chambers and proportional chambers, was performed at the CERN Proton Synchroton.

Measurements of the K - p and K + p elastic differential cross sections at 20 and 50 GeV/ c , respectively, have been made in the momentum transfer range 0.7 < ∥ t ∥ < 8.0 GeV/ c .

Measurements of the differential elastic cross sections for π − p scattering at incident momenta of 20 and 50 GeV c and π + p at 50 GeV c in the momentum transfer range 0.7 < |t|; < 8.0 ( GeV c ) 2 are presented. The data are compared with various models of elastic scattering.

The elastic scattering of K ± mesons on protons has been studied at 5 GeV/c. A total of about 500 000 events have been measured in the c.m. angular range 17° < θ cm < 165° corresponding to 0.2 < − t < (GeV/ c ) 2 . We observed a K − p backward peak which we have parametrized as d σ /d u = (0.6 ± 0.2) exp [(3.3 ± 0.6) u ] μb /(GeV/c) 2 , while for the K + p backward peak we find d σ /d u = (17.5 ± 1) exp [(3.6 ± 0.2) u ] μb /(GeV/c) 2 . The K − p cross-section falls to about 0.03 μ b ( GeV /c) 2 around − t = 5 (GeV/ c ) 2 , while the K + p cross-section stays in the vicinity of 0.3 μ b ( GeV /c) 2 in the same t -region. The K + p and K − p differential cross-sections have cross-over points at − t = 0.2, 1.1 and about 3.5 (GeV/ c ) 2 .

The differential cross-sections for the annihilation processes p p→π − π + and p p→K − K + have been measured at an incident laboratory momentum at 5 GeV/ c . Strong backward and forward peaks are observed in the π + π − differential cross-sections while the K + K − cross-section is shown to have a peak only for K − going forward. The annihilation cross-sections are compared with the cross-sections for the crossed channel backward processes π ± p→p π ± and K ± p→pK ± .

Besides the dedicated search for strangelets NA52 measures light (anti)particle and (anti)nuclei production over a wide range of rapidity. Compared to previous runs the statistics has been increased in the 1998 run by more than one order of magnitude for negatively charged objects at different spectrometer rigidities. At a rigidity of −20 GeV/ c we measured 10 6 p , 10 3 d and one 3 He without any centrality requirements. These preliminary results together with previous measurements near central rapidity are discussed in the framework of a thermodynamical and a coalescence model.

In an experiment performed at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings as a part of an energy scan to detect the η c formation in p p annihilation, we studied the reaction p p →φφ→ K + K − K + K − . The total cross section has been determined to be 25.0± 7.4±3.8 nb.

From the measurement of e + e - pairs from the reaction p̄p→e + e - at the CERN-ISR, using an antiproton beam and a hydrogen jet target, we derived upper limits for the proton magnetic form factor in the time-like region at Q 2 ⋍8.9( GeV c ) 2 and Q 2 ⋍12.5( GeV c ) 2 .

The high antiproton-proton luminosity obtained by using a target system consisting of a hydrogen gas-jet crossing a coasting beam of cooled antiproton circulating in one of the rings of CERN's ISR provides the possibility to measure low cross section reactions with very high precision. We present measurements of the antiproton-proton elastic cross section at 90° CM at incident momenta between 3.5 GeV/ c and 5.7 GeV/ c . The precision of these measurements is much higher than previously reported results. The data show that the cross section of this reaction decreases faster than s −12 over this momentum range.

Data collected in the experiment R704 at the CERN ISR are used to study the annihilation process p p → π 0 π 0 at several centre-of-mass energies between 2.97 and 3.56 GeV. A total sample of 7359 events has been identified, from which cross sections and angular distributions in the interval 0 < | cos θ ∗ | < 0.5 have been measured.