We present a measurement of the cross section for the reaction e + e − → e + e − π + π − π + π − at SPEAR. This channel is found to be large and dominated by the process γγ → ϱ 0 ϱ 0 → π + π − π + π − . The cross section, which is small just above the four-pion threshold, exhibits a large enhancement near the ϱ 0 ϱ 0 threshold.

To complete data on resonance electroproduction we constructed an electron spectrometer with large angular and momentum acceptance. As a first result inclusive cross sections for an invariant hadronic mass 1.2<W<1.7 GeV and a four momentum transfer squared 0.5<Q2<1.5 (GeV/c)2 and for values of the polarization parameter 0.1<ɛ<0.25 are presented. Combining our results with the SLAC 4°-data we obtain σL/σT in the specified kinematical range.

The π − p→n γ and π − p→n π ° differential cross sections have been measured for −0.9< cos θ ∗ <−0.45 (θ ∗ c.m. scattering angle) at 475 MeV/ c and 550 MeV/ c incident momenta. The π − p→n γ measurement is a good check of the detailed balance principle in the electromagnetic interactions of hadrons at these energies and is in good agreement with Walker's analysis. On the other hand the π − p→ π °n extrapolated values of 180° allows one to verify that the phases of the A 1 2 and A 3 2 amplitudes are equal.

The first measurements are reported of the asymmetry in resonance-region scattering of longitudinally polarized electrons by longitudinally polarized protons. Data have been obtained at Q2=0.5 and 1.5 (GeV/c)2 in the missing-mass range W=1.1−1.9 GeV. Results are compatible with a multipole analysis of single-pion electroproduction. The spin-dependent behavior is consistent with a duality mechanism as in the unpolarized case.

The polarized target asymmetry in the reaction γ p → π 0 p has been measured at c.m. angles of 30°, 80°, 105° and 120° for incident photon energies below 1 GeV. Two decay photons from π 0 were detected in coincidence at 30°, and at the other angles recoil protons and single photons from π 0 were detected. The results are compared with recent phenomenological analyses.

The polarized target asymmetry for the process γ p → π + n has been measured for incident photon energies below 1.02 GeV over a range of c.m. angles from 40° to 160°. π + mesons from a polarized butanol target were detected by a magnetic spectrometer. The results are compared with predictions given by existing analyses. A tentative interpretation of the data is performed, and a larger contribution of S-wave resonances is suggested. The photocouplings of dominant resonances were hardly changed by the inclusion of new data and they seem to be almost uniquely determined.

The reaction γ V p → p π + π − was studied in the W , Q 2 region 1.3–2.8 GeV, 0.3–1.4 GeV 2 using the streamer chamber at DESY. A detailed analysis of rho production via γ V p→ ϱ 0 p is presented. Near threshold rho production has peripheral and non-peripheral contributions of comparable magnitude. At higher energies ( W > 2 GeV) the peripheral component is dominant. The Q 2 dependence of σ ( γ V p→ ϱ 0 p) follows that of the rho propagator as predicted by VDM. The slope of d σ /d t at 〈 Q 2 〉 = 0.4 and 0.8 GeV 2 is within errors equal to its value at Q 2 = 0. The overall shape of the ϱ 0 is t dependent as in photoproduction, but is independent of Q 2 . The decay angular distribution shows that longitudinal rhos dominate in the threshold region. At higher energies transverse rhos are dominant. Rho production by transverse photons proceeds almost exclusively by natural parity exchange, σ T N ⩾ (0.83 ± 0.06) σ T for 2.2 < W < 2.8 GeV. The s -channel helicity-flip amplitudes are small compared to non-flip amplitudes. The ratio R = σ L / σ T was determined assuming s -channel helicity conservation. We find R = ξ 2 Q 2 / M ϱ 2 with ξ 2 ≈ 0.4 for 〈 W 〉 = 2.45 GeV. Interference between rho production amplitudes from longitudinal and transverse photons is observed. With increasing energy the phase between the two amplitudes decreases. The observed features of rho electroproduction are consistent with a dominantly diffractive production mechanism for W > 2 GeV.

The angular dependence of the asymmetry for negative-pion photoproduction on neutrons by linearly polarized photons has been measured for photon energies 260, 300, 350, 400, 450, and 500 MeV at center-of-mass angles 60°, 75°, 90°, 150°, and 120°. The results are compared with theoretical models of low-energy single-pion photoproduction. The observed asymmetry below 400 MeV shows good agreement with predictions of dispersion-theoretical models by Berends, Donnachie, and Weaver and by Schwela. The asymmetry values in the 400-500 MeV energy region suggest that smaller M1− amplitude is more favorable.

The differential cross section for the reaction γp → π 0 p at forward angles has been measured in the energy region between 350 MeV and 1175 MeV. A phenomenological multiple analysis was carried out on the present data together with other data.

At the Bonn 2.5 GeV electron synchrotron the first measurements of the target asymmetry for the reaction γ + n ↑ → π − + p have been performed. The negative pions were detected in a magnetic spectrometer at a constant pion c.m. angle of 40° and photon energies between 0.45 GeV and 2.0 GeV. Deuterated butanol was used as target material. The polarization of the deuterons was about 16%. The results show a significant difference from the previously measured π + asymmetry.

Total and differenial cross sections of the reaction γ +n→p+ π − have been determined for photon-energies between 0.2 and 2.0 GGeV. Below 500 MeV the differential cross sections are compared with theoretical predictions derived from fixed-momentum-transfer dispersion relations.

The target asymmetry T = ( σ ↑ − σ ↓)/( σ ↑ + σ ↓) for the reaction γ p → π + n has been measured at the Bonn 2.5 GeV electron synchrotron for a pion c.m. angle of 40° and γ energies between 0.5 and 2.2 GeV. Butanol was used as the target material. About 35% of the protons could be polarized using the dynamic-polarization method in a continuous-flow cryostat operating at 1°K and 25 kG. The π + mesons were detected in a magnetic-spectrometer system. Considerable structure in the asymmetry was observed.

The asymmetry of the cross section for π + photoproduction from a polarized butanol target has been measured at a c.m. angle 90° and photon energies between 300 and 900 MeV by a single-arm spectrometer detecting positive pions. Our results indicate that the asymmetry has clear positive peaks at photon energies 400 and 700 MeV with a deep valley at about 600 MeV. The general feature of the results is well reproduced by the phenomenological analyses made by Walker and ourselves; however, the best fit to the polarized target asymmetry data seems to give a somewhat different set of parameters from that given by Walker.

The differential cross section has been measured for the reaction γ +p→p+ π o at the Bonn 2.5 GeV electron synchrotron in the energy range from 0.4 to 2.2 GeV for a c.m. angle of 150 degrees. The protons were detected in a magnetic spectrometer system. The excitation curve shows a distinct resonance structure. The total corrections to the counting rate are about 3%. The contribution of the process γ +p→p+2 π was separated. The uncertainty of this separation leads to an error of about 4% in the cross section.

The differential cross sections for γ p→ π + n from hydrogen and the π − π + ratios from deuterium were measured at nine c.m. angles between 30° and 150° for laboratory photon energies between 260 and 800 MeV. A magnetic spectrometer with three layers of scintillation hodoscope was used to detect charged π mesons. The cross section for γ n→ π − p was obtained as a product of d σ d Ω (γ p →π + n ) and the π − π + ratio. The overall features in the cross sections of the two reactions, γ p→ π + n and γ n→ π − p, and in the ratios, π − π + , agree with predictions by Moorhouse, Oberlack and Rosenfeld, and Metcalf and Walker. An investigation of the possible existence of an isotensor current was made and a negative result was found. In detailed balance comparison with the new results on the inverse reaction π − p→ γ n, no apparent violation of time-reversal invariance was observed.

None

Pions from the reaction γ + p → π + + n were analysed in the backward direction by a magnetic spectrometer. The photon energy region of 0.394 GeV to 1.397 GeV was covered by 19 different momentum settings. Data reduction resulted in 74 measured differential cross sections with statistical uncertainties typically from 4% to 8%. The systematic uncertainty was estimated to be ±5%. The data are compared to other recent experiments and predictions of phenomenological analyses.