New experimental results are reported on diffractive dissociation of protons into (nπ + ) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s = 45 GeV . The data were obtained using the Split-Field-Magnet detector at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings. We have searched for resonance contributions and found peaks at mass values of 1.5 GeV, 1.65 GeV, and 2.1 GeV. A dip in d σ d t is observed at low t and low mass; it is most pronounced for events with neutrons emitted at 90° in the Gottfried-Jackson frame. The correlation between mass and slope depends strongly on θ J . The cross section of the channel pp → pnπ + is 400 ± 110 μb at s = 45 GeV , giving an energy dependence of s −0.30±0.07 for isospin exchange zero in this channel.
SCALE UNCERTAINTY 20 PCT IS INCLUDED IN ERROR.
SIG(P P --> P N PI+) IS NEARLY EQUAL TO SIG(P P --> P (N PI+)) WHICH WAS ACTUALLY MEASURED, SINCE THE CROSS SECTION OF THE REACTION P P --> N (P PI+) IS LESS THAN .1 MUB AS MEASURED BY N. KWAK ET AL., PL 62B, 359, 1976.
EXTRAPOLATING TO T=0 AND ALLOWING FOR OTHER DECAY MODES YIELDS RESULT.