The differential cross sections of π − and π + meson production at a laboratory angle of 159° in collisions of 15–65 GeV protons with Be, C, Al, Ti, Mo and W targets are measured. The data are presented in the tables for Lorentz-invariant cross sections over the momentum range of pions from 0.25 to 0.95 GeV/ c . The slopes (“temperatures”) of a cumulative part of the pion spectra (the pion kinetic energy is >0.35 GeV) increase by 15–20% with changing A from 9 up to 184. Some discrepancy in the E -dependence of the temperature of the cumulative pion spectra is observed in the high-energy region studied, namely the temperature at 15–65 GeV, taking its slow rise over this range into account, contradicts that at 400 GeV.
Exclusive production of the isoscalar vector mesons $\omega$ and $\phi$ is measured with a 190 GeV$/c$ proton beam impinging on a liquid hydrogen target. Cross section ratios are determined in three intervals of the Feynman variable $x_{F}$ of the fast proton. A significant violation of the OZI rule is found, confirming earlier findings. Its kinematic dependence on $x_{F}$ and on the invariant mass $M_{p\mathrm{V}}$ of the system formed by fast proton $p_\mathrm{fast}$ and vector meson $V$ is discussed in terms of diffractive production of $p_\mathrm{fast}V$ resonances in competition with central production. The measurement of the spin density matrix element $\rho_{00}$ of the vector mesons in different selected reference frames provides another handle to distinguish the contributions of these two major reaction types. Again, dependences of the alignment on $x_{F}$ and on $M_{p\mathrm{V}}$ are found. Most of the observations can be traced back to the existence of several excited baryon states contributing to $\omega$ production which are absent in the case of the $\phi$ meson. Removing the low-mass $M_{p\mathrm{V}}$ resonant region, the OZI rule is found to be violated by a factor of eight, independently of $x_\mathrm{F}$.
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