The total proton-proton cross section (excluding Coulomb scattering) has been measured at energies from 410 Mev up to 2.6 Bev, using external beams from the Cosmotron. Fast counting equipment was used to measure the attenuation of the beams through polyethylene, carbon, and liquid H2 absorbers. At each energy E, σp−p(E, Ω) was measured as a function of the solid angle Ω subtended by the rear counter at the center of the absorber. The total cross section σp−p was obtained by a least squares straight line extrapolation to Ω=0. The measured σp−p as a function of energy rises sharply from 26.5 mb at 410 Mev to 47.8 mb at 830 Mev and then remains approximately constant out to 1.4 Bev, above which energy it decreases gradually to about 42 mb at 2.6 Bev. Using the same equipment and procedure, we have also measured the D2O-H2O difference cross section, called "σp−n," for protons over the same energy range. From a comparison of "σp−n," and σp−p, with the n−p and n−d measurements of Coor et al. at 1.4 Bev, it is apparent that one nucleon is "shielded" by the other in the deuteron. This effect is not present at energies below 410 Mev. Comparing the measured p−p and "p−n" (corrected) cross sections with the results of other high-energy experiments, one may infer the following conclusions: (1) The sharp rise in σp−p from 400 to 800 Mev results from increasing single pion production, which may proceed through the T=32, J=32 excited nucleon state. (2) Above 1 Bev the inelastic (meson production) p−p cross section appears to be approximately saturated at 27-29 mb. (3) The rise in cross section for n−p interaction in the T=0 state, associated with the rise in double pion production, implies that double meson production also proceeds through the T=32 nucleon state. (4) The probable equality of σp−d and σn−d at 1.4 Bev implies the validity of charge symmetry at this energy.

The elastic scattering of K+ mesons on protons is studied at 3.5 and 5 GeV/c. The total elastic cross-sections are found to be (4.36±0.36) mb and (3.82±0.41) mb respectively. The differential elastic cross-sections, which exhibit characteristic diffraction peaks, are fitted by dσ/dt=(dσ/dt)0eαt, giving α=(3.85±0.12) and (4.70±0.21) (GeV/c)−2 for the two momenta respectively, with |t|⪝0.65 (GeV/c)2. The results are compared to those at neighbouring energies, giving some support to the presence of a real part of the forward scattering amplitude. The diffraction peak shows definite shrinking with increasing momenta. The data are examined in the light of models for high-energy scattering.

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Single π + production on protons by linearly polarized photons of 2.5 to 5 GeV was measured at squared four momentum transfers t between −0.01 and −0.6 (GeV/ c ) 2 . The results show that the differential cross section d σ ⊥ d t with the electric vector of the photon perpendicular to the reaction plane is much larger than d σ ‖ d t with the electric vector parallel to the reaction plane. The predictions of Regge models and of the vector meson dominance model are briefly discussed.

Compton scattering on protons has been measured at a mean photon energy of 6 GeV and four-momentum transfers − t between 0.06 and 0.60 (GeV/ c ) 2 . The differential cross section shows a diffraction-like behaviour. The cross section extrapolated to t =0 is in fair agreement with the optical point. Discrepancies with the vector meson dominance model are pointed out.

We have measured the asymmetry of the cross section for γp→π+n from a polarized target at 5 and 16 GeV. The range of four-momentum transfer was 0.02<~−t<~1.0 GeV2. The π+ mesons were produced in a polarized butanol target and detected with the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center 20−GeVc spectrometer. A sizable asymmetry was found at both 5 and 16 GeV, a typical value being -0.6 near −t=0.3 GeV2. A small amount of data on the asymmetry of other photoproduction processes was also obtained.

The K L K S transmission regeneration of a K L beam traversing a liquid hydrogen target has been observed over the momentum interval 3.0–6.0 GeV/ c . Results are in good agreement with predictions based on dispersion relations.

Proton Compton scattering has been measured in a coincidence experiment at photon energies between 2.2 and 7 GeV and four-momentum transfers t between −0.06 and −0.85(GeV/ c ) 2 . For ∣ t ∣ ⩽ 0.4 (GeV/ c ) 2 fits of the form d σ /d t = ( A · exp( Bt )) yield forward cross sections A in good agreement with the values calculated from the total hadronic γ p cross section via the optical theorem and the forward dispersion relation. The slopes B do not show a significant energy dependence, the mean value being 5.7 ± 0.4 (GeV/ c ) −2 . The cross section is substantially larger than predicted by the vector-meson dominance model.

The forward cross sections for the reactions π−p→K+Σ− and K−p→π+Σ− have been determined for incident particle momenta in the range of 2.75 to 3.50 GeV/c, and an upper limit was established at 5.00 GeV/c. These measurements show that the double-charge-exchange process π−p→K+Σ− is suppressed by a factor of 1500 at 3 GeV/c relative to the single-exchange reaction π+p→K+Σ+.

Results are presented on a series of measurements of ρ-photoproduction from hydrogen, deuterium, and complex nuclei ranging up to lead, at photon energies ranging from 4 to 9 GeV. Detailed dipion mass-spectrum fits are presented, using a Drell-type nonresonant background and its interference with the resonant amplitude, with no other arbitrary backgrounds. For hydrogen and deuterium, the inelastic contributions have been subtracted. The A dependence of the cross sections is analyzed to yield values of γρ24π and σρN at average photon energies of 6.1, 6.5, and 8.8 GeV. The hydrogen-to-deuterium ratios indicate the presence of possible nondiffractive amplitudes at low energies which then decrease with energy.