Angular asymmetries in the reactions vec pp to dpi ^ + eta and vec pn to dpi ^0 eta and a 0-f 0 mixing

The reactions pp → dπ ⁺ η and pn → dπ ⁰ η are of special interest for investigating the a ₀(980) (J ^P=0⁺) resonance in the process NN → da ₀ → dπη. We study some aspects of those reactions within a general formalism and also in a concrete phenomenological model. In particular, it is shown that the presence of nonresonant (i.e., without excitation of the a ₀ resonance) contributions to these reactions yields nonvanishing values for specific polarization observables, i.e., to effects like those generated by a ₀ ⁰ -f ₀ mixing. An experimental determination of these observables for the reaction $vec pp to dpi ^ + eta $ would provide concrete information on the magnitude of those nonresonant contributions to πη production. We also discuss the possibility of extracting information about a ₀ ⁰ -f ₀ mixing from the reaction $vec pn to dpi ^0 eta $ with a polarized proton beam.