A spark-chamber experiment on the peripheral production of 9245 pion pairs by 12- and 18-GeV/c incident pions is reported and analyzed in terms of a one-pion-exchange model in which the final state at the nucleon vertex contains generally one or more pions. The relevant dynamics and kinematics appropriate to this problem are reviewed, and the experimental and analysis techniques giving good resolution and detection-bias correction are discussed in some detail. From the results, fair agreement is found between the data and the one-pion-exchange calculation of the ρ0 production cross sections and of the associated missing-mass spectra. The ρ0 is found to be consistent with a single peak, and no evidence of peak splitting is observed. A search for a narrow s-wave dipion resonance is made with negative results. Normalizing to the ρ0 meson, the s-wave π+π− scattering cross section is computed from the abundant low-dipion-mass events, giving a cross section falling smoothly from 50 mb (300 MeV) to about 20 mb (600 MeV). No evidence of an s-wave resonance is found in this range of energies. Below 450 MeV, the pion-pion scattering asymmetry favors backward scattering (by 2½ standard deviations), which is consistent with a negative and falling J=T=0 phase shift. The extrapolated forward-backward asymmetry and the s-wave cross section are both consistent with a J=T=0 phase shift near|90°| at about 750 MeV.

We have measured cross sections, rapidity and transverse momentum distributions, and vector meson polarization for the reactions pp→ ϱ o +anything, pp→ ω +charged particles, and pp → K ∗± + anything at incident laboratory momenta of 12 and 24 GeV/ c . We discuss various consequences of our results as well as possible connections with lepton pair production.

We have measured the production cross section for K s 0 in e + e − annihilation from 3.6 to 5.0 GeV center of mass energy. A substantial increase of the K s 0 yield is observed around 4 GeV in qualitative agreement with the charm hypothesis.

The production of enutral kaons in e + e − annihilation has been measured for c.m. energies between 3.4 GeV and 7.6 GeV. Near 4 GeV the inclusive K S cross section shows an increase and structure similar to total hadron production. Roughly 40–45% of all hadronic final states contain kaons, except at 4.028 GeV and 4.415 GeV, where a significantly larger kaon fraction is observed.

The inclusive production of antiprotons and Λ's in e+e− annihilation has been measured as a function of the c.m. energy in the range 3.7-7.6 GeV. We find that the baryon cross section has a behavior different from the total hadronic production. Our results show a rapid rise in the ratio σp¯σμμ between 4.4 and 5 GeV, consistent with what would be expected from charmed baryon production. Λ¯ production is 10-15% of p¯ production at all energies.

A strong negative transverse polarization P z is found for forward produced lambdas observed in 10 and 16 GeV/ c K − p interactions. This indicates that exchanges of natural spin-parity are dominant in the production process. Using the polarization results, the d σ d u′ distributions for natural and unnatural spin-parity exchanges are derived. For unnatural exchanges, a dip is observed at u ′≅0.3 GeV 2 , which can be explained as a nonsense-wrong-signature zero of the N β trajectory. The value of P z for forward producted lambdas is constant with energy. This is in agreement with the triple-Regge model prediction, as is the fact that P z is constant as a function of M 2 s . The two non-transverse polarization components, P x and P y , have been measured and are found to be consistent with zero for all x values, unlike P z .

We have measured inclusive electron production in multiprong events produced by e+e− annihilation in the center-of-mass energy range 3.9-7.4 GeV. We find the electron momentum spectra are consistent with the electrons coming mainly from decays of charmed particles, with a smaller contribution from decays of the τ lepton. From our data we calculate the average branching ratio for charmed particles to decay into an electron plus additional particles to be (8.2±1.9)%.

The inclusive production of Ξ − and Ξ ∗0 (1530) is investigated in K − p interactions at 10 and 16 GeV/ c . The inclusive production cross sections are 172 ± 20 μ b and 135 ± 15 μ b for the Ξ − , and 43 ± 7 μ b and 32 ± 5 μ b for the Ξ ∗0 (1530) at 10 and 16 GeV /c , respectively. In the beam momentum range up to 16 GeV/ c , the energy dependence of the cross section for Ξ − production in K − p interactions is similar to Σ − production in π − p interactions. It is, instead, different from the energy behaviour of Σ − production cross sections observed in π − p interactions. The Ξ − and Ξ ∗0 (1530) are both produced more in the forward ( x > 0) than in the backward hemisphere, indicating the presence of hyperon-exchange processes.

We present measurements of the cross section for inclusive D and K meson production in e + e − annihilation in the center of mass energy range 3.6 to 5.8 GeV. D production accounts for most of the increase in the total cross section for hadron production in e + e − annihilation at energies above 4 GeV.

A study is presented of the inclusive production cross sections of K ∗± (892) vector mesons in pp interactions at 12 and 24 GeV/ c and in π + p interactions at 16 GeV/ c . The K ∗± inclusive cross section is ∼0.9 mb for both pp at 24 GeV/ c and π + p interactions at 16 GeV/ c . For pp interactions, σ( K ∗+ ) and σ( K ∗− ) are seen to rise with energy, showing a threshold behaviour. In both pp and π + p interactions, σ( K ∗+ ) largely exceeds σ( K ∗− ) at these energies and this excess is interpreted as K ∗+ production by beam and target fragmentations. The decays of K ∗±0 yield ∼30% of the K 0 observed in the final states. The p T 2 dependence of both K ∗+ and K ∗ − cross sections is described by an exponential with slope of ∼3.3 (GeV/ c ) −2 . The longitudinal momentum spectra for K ∗+ in 16 GeV/ c π + p and 24 GeV/ c pp interactions are similar in shape in the target hemisphere. The K ∗− spectra are similar over the whole kinematic region when viewed in the quark c.m.s. and point to a central production mechanism. Comparing K ∗+ and ρ 0 production, striking similarities are found.