Results of a high-statistics study of elastic scattering and meson resonances produced by π−p interactions at 8 GeV/c are presented. Large statistics and small systematic errors permit examination of the complete kinematic region. Total differential cross sections are given for ρ0,−, f0, g0,−, Δ±, Δ0, and N* resonances. Spin-density matrix elements and Legendre-polynomial moments are given for ρ, f, and Δ resonances. The results for ρ0 and f0 resonances are compared with the predictions of a Regge-pole-exchange model. Properties of the above resonances are compared and discussed. In particular, we present evidence that the ρ0 and f0 production mechanisms are similar. The similarity of the g0 t distribution to that of the ρ0 and f0 suggests a common production mechanism for all three resonances.

Invariant single-particle cross sections for pion and proton production in π ± p interactions at 8 and 16 GeV/ c are presented in terms of integrated distributions as functions of x , reduced rapidity ζ and p ⊥ 2 , and also in terms of double differential cross sections E d 2 σ /(d x d p ⊥ 2 ) and d ζ d p ⊥ 2 ). A comparison of π ± and π − induced reactions is made and the energy dependence is discussed. It is shown that the single-particle structure function cannot be factorized in its dependece on transverse and longitudinal momentum. For the beam-unlike pion, there is an indication for factorizability in terms of rapidity and transverse momentum in a small central region.

The reaction π−+p→π−+p has been studied in the 15-in. bubble chamber at the Princeton-Pennsylvania Accelerator. The elastic scattering cross section was determined to be 8.5 ± 0.2 mb. The forward peak fits to an exponential in t with a slope of 8.1 ± 0.2 (GeV/c)−2. The forward differential cross section dσdΩ(0)=17.9±0.7 mb/sr. A fit of the center-of-mass angular distribution to Legendre polynomials needed terms up to the 12th order, corresponding to the highest nonzero partial wave of L=6.

From an experiment done with the CERN Omega spectrometer, triggered by a fast forward proton device, we present results on the differential cross section d σ d u for π − p backward elastic scattering. The d σ d u distribution agrees with an A e Bu law. The compilation of existing results shows a discrepancy between results but the ( d σ d u ) u=0 data fit perfectly an s 2 α 0 −2 dependence, as predicted by a single Δδ Regge trajectory exchange. A search for the reaction π − p → d p , with a fast forward deuteron, which can be produced by a double-baryon exchange mechanism, gives cross-section upper limits of ∼1% of the backward elastic cross section.

The reactions π − p → p π − and π − p → p ϱ − ( ϱ − → π − π 0 ) at 10 GeV/ c with the proton in the forward direction in the c.m.s. are discussed on the basis of 953 elastic scattering events and 2240 events of the reaction π − p → p π − π 0 . The total backward cross sections are 0.52±0.10 and 1.52±0.28 μ b, respectively. In both cases the production mechanism is compatible with the dominance of the baryonic Δ δ Regge trajectory exchange. The ϱ − decay angular distributions are studied in the u -channel helicity frame and the spin density matrix elements are presented as functions of u .

A streamer-chamber spectrometer is triggered by fast forward protons from 4-GeV/c π−p interactions at the Bevatron. Meson-resonance production in the backward, Iu=32 exchange reactions π−p→pM− are studied, where M− refers to π−, ρ−, A1−, A2−, and B−. Elastic scattering and ρ− production are observed and discussed in detail. No backward A1−, A2−, or B− production is observed at the level of approximately 5 βb.

π−p elastic scattering is studied at an incident π− beam momentum of 3.92 GeV/c. From the analysis of about 38 000 elastic events we give the differential cross-section for −t>0.06 (GeV)2. The known structures at −t ≈ 0.8 and 2.8 (GeV)2 are seen. An additional possible structure is present in the backward hemisphere.

We report a study of 20 exclusive reactions measured at the AGS at 5.9 GeV/c incident momentum, 90° center of mass. This experiment confirms the strong quark flow dependence of two-body hadron-hadron scattering at large angle. At 9.9 GeV/c an upper limit had been set for the ratio of cross sections for (p¯p→p¯p)(pp→pp) at 90° c.m., with the ratio less than 4%. The present experiment was performed at lower energy to gain sensitivity, but was still within the fixed angle scaling region. A ratio R(p¯ppp)≈140 was measured at 5.9 GeV/c, 90° c.m. in comparison to a ratio near 1.7 for small angle scattering. In addition, many other reactions were measured, often for the first time at 90° c.m. in the scaling region, using beams of π±, K±, p, and p¯ on a hydrogen target. There are similar large differences in cross sections for other reactions: R(K−p→π+Σ−K−p→π−Σ+)≈112, for example. The relative magnitudes of the different cross sections are consistent with the dominance of quark interchange in these 90° reactions, and indicate that pure gluon exchange and quark-antiquark annihilation diagrams are much less important. The angular dependence of several elastic cross sections and the energy dependence at a fixed angle of many of the reactions are also presented.

Measurements of π±p, K±p, pp, and p¯p elastic scattering are presented for incident momenta of 3, 3.65, 5, and 6 GeVc and momentum transfers typically 0.03 to 1.8 GeV2. The angle and momentum of the scattered particle were measured with the Argonne Effective Mass Spectrometer for 300 000 events, yielding 930 cross-section values with an uncertainty in absolute normalization of ±4%. Only the K+ and proton data show any significant change in slope of the forward diffraction peak with incident momentum. The particle-antiparticle crossover positions are consistent with no energy dependence, average values being 0.14 ± 0.03, 0.190 ± 0.006, and 0.162 ± 0.004 GeV2 for π' s, K' s, and protons, respectively; these errors reflect both statistics and the ±1.5% uncertainty in particle-antiparticle relative normalization. Differences between particle and antiparticle cross sections isolate interference terms between amplitudes of opposite C parity in the t channel; these differences indicate that the imaginary part of the odd-C nonflip-helicity amplitude has a J0(r(−t)12) structure for −t<0.8 GeV2, as predicted by strong absorption models. The cross-section differences for K± and proton-antiproton are in qualitative agreement with the predictions of ω universality, the agreement improving with increasing energy. The corresponding quark-model predictions relating the π± and K± differences failed by more than a factor of 2. We have combined our π± cross sections with other data to better determine the πN amplitudes in a model-independent way; results of this analysis are presented.

We have measured the reactions π±p→π±p and π+p→K+Σ+ at 5.0 GeV/c in the region 2.2<−t<3.5 (GeV/c)2. We find the minimum cross section of the dip at −t=2.8 (GeV/c)2 in π+p elastic scattering to be 0.16 ± 0.05 μb/GeV2. The π−p differential cross section exhibits similar structure, while the π+p→K+Σ+ channel shows a steady decline in cross section as |t| increases. The polarization of the Σ+ remains large and positive to at least −t=2.8 (GeV/c)2.