No Arabic abstract
Fully constrained bubble chamber data on the pp -> pi+ pn and pp -> pi+ d reactions are used to investigate the ratio of the counting rates for the two processes at low pn excitation energies. Whereas the ratio is in tolerable agreement with that found in a high resolution spectrometer experiment, the angular distribution in the final pn rest frame shows that the deviation from the predictions of final state interaction theory must originate primarily from higher partial waves in the pn system. These considerations might also be significant for the determination of the S-wave Lambda:p scattering length from data on the pp -> K+ Lambda p reaction.
Fully constrained bubble chamber data on the pp -> pi+ pn and pp -> pi+ d reactions are used to investigate the ratio of the counting rates for the two processes as function of the pn excitation energy Q. Though it is important to include effects associated with the p-wave nature of pion production, the data are insufficient to establish unambiguously the dependence on Q. The angular distributions show the presence of higher partial waves which seem to be anomalously large at small Q. The dispersion relation method to determine scattering lengths is extended to encompass cases where, as for the pp -> pi+ pn reaction, there is a bound state and, in a test example, it is shown that the values deduced for the low energy neutron-proton scattering parameters are significantly influenced by the pion p-wave behavior.
The cross section for prompt neutral and charged three pion production in pp interactions was measured at excess energies in the range 160 - 217 MeV. That comprises the first measurement of the pp->pp pi0pi0pi0 reaction and the comparison with the pp->pp pi+pi-pi0 reaction, in a very direct way. The experiment was performed above the eta meson production threshold and the cross section normalization was obtained from a concurrent measurement of the reaction pp->pp eta with the eta decaying into 3 pions. Since the same final states are selected, the measurement has a low systematical error. The measured cross section ratio sigma(pp->pp pi+pi-pi0)/sigma(pp->pp pi0pi0pi0) is compared to predictions of dominance of different isobars in the intermediate state.
Data accumulated recently for the exclusive measurement of the $ppto pppi^+pi^-$ reaction at a beam energy of 0.793 GeV using the COSY-TOF spectrometer have been analyzed with respect to possible events from the $pp to nnpi^+pi^+$ reaction channel. The latter is expected to be the only $pipi$ production channel, which contains no major contributions from resonance excitation close to threshold and hence should be a good testing ground for chiral dynamics in the $pipi$ production process. No single event has been found, which meets all conditions for being a candidate for the $pp to nn pi^+pi^+$ reaction. This gives an upper limit for the cross section of 0.16 $mu$b (90% C.L.), which is more than an order of magnitude smaller than the cross sections of the other two-pion production channels at the same incident energy.
In order to establish links between p-wave pion production in nucleon-nucleon collisions and low energy three-nucleon scattering, an extensive programme of experiments on pion production is currently underway at COSY-ANKE. The final proton pair is measured at very low excitation energy, leading to an S-wave diproton, denoted here as {pp}_s. By using a deuterium target we have obtained data on the differential cross section and analysing power of the quasi-free pol{p}n -> {pp}_s pi^- reaction at 353 MeV. The spectator proton p_sp was either measured directly in silicon tracking telescopes or reconstructed using the momentum of a detected pi^-. Both observables can be described in terms of s-, p-, and d-wave pion production amplitudes. Taken together with the analogous data on the pol{p}p -> {pp}_s pi^0 reaction, full partial wave decompositions of both processes were carried out.
Exclusive measurements of the quasi-free $pp to pppi^+pi^-$ reaction have been performed by means of $pd$ collisions at $T_p$ = 1.2 GeV using the WASA detector setup at COSY. Total and differential cross sections have been obtained covering the energ