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.

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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.

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 ratio of the yields of negative and positive pions photoproduced in deuterium has been measured at six photon energies between 500 and 1000 Mev and at seven angles between 20° and 160° in the center-of-momentum system of the photon and target nucleon. Pions were selected with a magnetic spectrometer and identified using momentum and specific ionization in a scintillation counter telescope. The spectator model of the deuteron was used to identify the photon energy. Statistical errors assigned to the π−π+ ratio range between five and fifteen percent. The results of the present experiment join smoothly with the low-energy π−π+ ratios obtained by Sands et al. At high energies the π−π+ ratio varies from 0.5 at forward angles and energies near 900 Mev to 2.5 at 160° c.m. and energies 600 to 800 Mev. The cross sections for π− photo-production from neutrons have been derived from the π−π+ ratio and the CalTech π+ photoproduction data. The angular distributions for π− production are considerably different from those for π+; there is, for example, a systematic increase at the most backward angles. The energy dependence of the total cross section for π− is similar to that for π+, although the second resonance peak occurs at a slightly lower energy, and at 900 and 1000 Mev the π− cross section is smaller by a factor 1.6. A comparison is made of the cross sections for π+ photoproduction from hydrogen and deuterium, although the accuracy of this comparison is not high.

The differential cross sections of π−p→γn at center-of-mass energy Ẽ=1363, 1337, and 1245 MeV are presented. The angular distributions are compared with recent γn→π−p experiments. Though the cross sections for π−p→γn are somewhat lower than those for the inverse reaction, when all uncertainties are considered, we find that our data are in acceptable agreement at all three energies with the inverse reaction determined from π−π+ ratio measurements, in support of time-reversal invariance. The agreement with bubble-chamber measurements at Ẽ=1363 and 1337 MeV is less satisfactory. The isotensor dip test applied to our data is inconclusive. Our measurements are compared with many multipole analyses, disagreeing with most, in particular with pure fixed- t dispersion relation calculations. We find no evidence, in the sense suggested by Donnachie, for the classification of the P11(1470) resonance in an SU(3) antidecuplet. The data are consistent with a small radiative decay of the P11(1470) resonance, as predicted by quark models.

The differential cross sections at 180° for the reactions γ+p→π++n and γ+n→π−+p were measured using a magnetic spectrometer to detect π± mesons. In order to reduce the spread of energy resolution due to the nucleon motion inside the deuteron, a photon difference method was employed with a 50-MeV step for the reaction γ+n→π−+p. The data show structures at the second- and the third-resonance regions for both reactions. A simple phenomenological analysis was made for fitting the data, and the results are compared with those of previous analyses.

Differential cross sections for π−p→γn have been determined from 427 to 625 MeV/c, mainly at 90° and 110° c.m. The data were obtained by combining measurements of the Panofsky ratio in flight with known charge-exchange cross sections. The results are compared with γn→π−p data derived from γd experiments; the difference is typically 30%. The radiative decay amplitudes of neutral πN resonances are therefore uncertain by at least 30%.

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.

Measurements have been made on the ratio of pion-production cross sections at right angles to and along the photon electric-field vector. The positive and negative pions were first momentum-analyzed and counted by means of a counter telescope. Data have been taken at 45, 90, and 135° in the c.m. system, and at proton energies of 225, 330, and 450 MeV. A comparison of the data is made with the dispersion-relation calculation of McKinley.