Excitation of the Roper resonance in single- and double-pion production in nucleon-nucleon collisions⋆

In most investigations the Roper resonance is sensed only very indirectly via complex partial-wave analyses. We find indications for its excitation in the invariant nπ⁺ mass spectrum of the pp → npπ⁺ reaction at M ≈ 1360 MeV with a width of ≈ 150 MeV . The values fit very favorably to the most recent phase shift results as well as to the observations at BES. In the near-threshold two-pion production pp → ppπ⁰π⁰ , where the Roper excitation and its subsequent decays via the routes N ^* → Δπ → Nππ and N ^* → Nσ are the only dominant processes, we find its direct decay into the Nσ channel to be the by far dominating decay process --in favor of a monopole excitation of the Roper resonance.     

Single-pion production in pp collisions at 0.95 GeV/c (I)

The single-pion production reactions pp → dπ⁺, pp → npπ⁺ and pp → ppπ⁰ were measured at a beam momentum of 0.95GeV/c ( T _p ≈ 400MeV) using the short version of the COSY-TOF spectrometer. The implementation of a central calorimeter provided particle identification, energy determination and neutron detection in addition to time-of-flight and angle measurements. Thus, all pion production channels were recorded with 1-4 overconstraints. The total and differential cross-sections obtained are compared to previous data and theoretical calculations. Main emphasis is put on the discussion of the ppπ⁰ channel, where we obtain angular distributions different from previous experimental results, however, partly in good agreement with recent phenomenological and theoretical predictions. In particular, we observe very large anisotropies for the π⁰ angular distributions in the kinematical region of small relative proton momenta revealing there a dominance of proton spinflip transitions associated with π⁰ s and d partial waves and emphasizing the important role of π⁰ d-waves.     

Single \mathrm{\ensuremath{\pi^{-}}} production in np collisions for excess energies up to 90 MeV

The quasifree reaction was studied in a kinematically complete experiment by bombarding a liquid-hydrogen target with a deuteron beam of momentum 1.85GeV/c and analyzing the data along the lines of the spectator model. In addition to the three charged ejectiles the spectator proton was also detected in the large-acceptance time-of-flight spectrometer COSY-TOF. It was identified by its momentum and flight direction thus yielding access to the Fermi motion of the bound neutron and to the effective neutron 4-momentum vector _n which differed from event to event. A range of almost 90MeV excess energy above threshold was covered. Energy-dependent angular distributions, invariant-mass spectra as well as fully covered Dalitz plots were deduced. Sizeable pp FSI effects were found as were contributions of p and d partial waves. In comparison with existing literature data the results provide a sensitive test of the spectator model. The behavior of the elementary cross-section σ₀₁ close to threshold is discussed in view of new cross-section data.     

Single-pion production in pp collisions at 0.95 GeV/c (II)

The single-pion production reactions pp d , pp np and pp pp were measured at a beam momentum of 0.95GeV/c ( T _p 400 MeV) using the short version of the COSY-TOF spectrometer. The central calorimeter provided particle identification, energy determination and neutron detection in addition to time-of-flight and angle measurements from other detector parts. Thus all pion production channels were recorded with 1-4 overconstraints. The main emphasis is put on the presentation and discussion of the np channel, since the results on the other channels have already been published previously. The total and differential cross-sections obtained are compared to theoretical calculations. In contrast to the pp channel we observe in the np channel a strong influence of the excitation. In particular, the pion angular distribution exhibits a (3 cos² + 1) -dependence, typical for a pure s -channel excitation and identical to that observed in the d channel. Since the latter is understood by a s -channel resonance in the ¹ D ₂ pn partial wave, we discuss an analogous scenario for the pn channel.     

Upper limits on resonance contributions to proton-proton elastic scattering in the c.m. mass range 2.05-2.85 GeV/ c2

Recently published excitation functions in proton-proton (pp) elastic scattering observables in the laboratory energy range 0.5-2.5GeV provide an excellent data base to establish firm upper limits on the elasticities η_el = Γ_el/Γ_tot of possible isovector resonant contributions to the nucleon-nucleon (NN) system. Such contributions have been predicted to arise from dibaryonic states, with c.m. masses between 2.1-2.9GeV/c², but have not been confirmed experimentally. A method to determine quantitatively the maximum value of η_el compatible with experimental data is presented. We use energy-dependent phase shift fits to the pp data base to model the non-resonant interaction. Based upon the differential cross-section data measured by the EDDA Collaboration an unbiased statistical test is constructed to obtain upper limits on η_el, that exclude larger values with a 99% confidence level. Results in the c.m. mass range 2.05-2.85GeV/c² and total widths of 10-100MeV/c² in the partial waves ¹S₀, ¹D₂, ³P₀, ³P₁, and ³F₃ are presented and discussed.     

The physical meaning of scattering matrix singularities in coupled-channel formalisms⋆

The physical meaning of bare and dressed scattering matrix singularities has been investigated. Special attention has been attributed to the role of the well-known invariance of the scattering matrix with respect to the field transformation of the effective Lagrangian. Examples of evaluating bare and dressed quantities in various models are given.     

Nucleon charge exchange on the deuteron: A critical review

The existing experimental data on the d(n, p)nn and d(p, n)pp cross-sections in the forward direction are reviewed in terms of the Dean sum rule. It is shown that the measurement of the ratio of the charge exchange on the deuteron to that on the proton might, if taken together with other experimental data, allow a direct construction of the np → np scattering amplitude in the backward direction with few ambiguities. Communicated by T. Hennino     

Nuclear forces with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Δ</Emphasis> excitations up to next-to-next-to-leading order,part I: Peripheral nucleon-nucleon waves

We study the two-nucleon force at next-to-next-to-leading order in a chiral effective field theory with explicit Δ degrees of freedom. Fixing the appearing low-energy constants from a next-to-leading-order calculation of pion-nucleon threshold parameters, we find an improved convergence of most peripheral nucleon-nucleon phases compared to the theory with pions and nucleons only. In the delta-full theory, the next-to-leading-order corrections are dominant in most partial waves considered.     

Two-pion production processes, chiral symmetry and NN interaction in the medium

We study the two-pion propagator in the nuclear medium. This quantity appears in the ππ T-matrix and we show that it also enters the QCD scalar susceptibility. The medium effects on this propagator are due to the influence of the individual nucleon response to a scalar field through their pion clouds. This response is appreciably increased by the nuclear environment. It produces an important convergence effect between the scalar and pseudoscalar susceptibilities, reflecting the reshaping of the scalar strength observed in 2π production experiments. While a large modifications of the σ propagator follows, due to its coupling to two pion states, we show that the NN potential remains instead unaffected.     

Excitation functions of the analyzing power in elastic proton-proton scattering from 0.45 to 2.5 GeV

Excitation functions A_N(p_lab,_c.m.) of the analyzing power in elastic proton-proton scattering have been measured in an internal target experiment at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY with an unpolarized proton beam and a polarized atomic hydrogen target. Data were taken continuously during the acceleration and deceleration for proton kinetic energies T_lab (momenta p_lab) between 0.45 and 2.5 GeV (1.0 and 3.3 GeV/c) and scattering angles 30 ^° _c.m. 90^°. The results provide excitation functions and angular distributions of high precision and internal consistency. The data can be used as calibration standard between 0.45 and 2.5 GeV. They have significant impact on phase shift solutions, in particular on the spin triplet phase shifts between 1.0 and 1.8 GeV.     

Effect of projectile structure in incomplete fusion in <Superscript>24</Superscript>Mg + <Superscript>59</Superscript>Co reaction

Integrated cross-section data for proton-proton bremsstrahlung including the points with the phase-space singularity, which occurs close to the maximum non-coplanarity angle, are presented. A numerical integration of theoretical cross-sections is performed over the non-coplanarity angle to integrate out this singularity. Furthermore, a comparison is made between measured cross-sections and predictions of two soft-photon models. All features observed for the data far from the singularity, including the overestimation of the cross-section by 30% by the theoretical calculations, emerge as well for the data close to and including the singularity.     

Aspects of φ-meson production in proton-proton collisions

We analyze near-threshold cross-section data for the reaction pp → ppφ published by the DISTO Collaboration and recent, still preliminary results presented by the ANKE Collaboration. We formulate a procedure to evaluate the OZI ratio at low energies by taking into account corrections from the kinematics and the final-state interaction. Combining the new data with the few measurements available at higher energies we give a limit for the OZI rule violation. We also demonstrate and discuss the effect of a possible contribution from a five-quark baryonic resonance coupled to the φp system on the pp → ppφ cross-section and the φp and pp invariant mass spectra.     

Antiproton-deuteron scattering at 600 MeV/ c

Using Glaubers multiple-scattering theory, the elementary ¯p-neutron scattering amplitude has been obtained from an analysis of ¯p-deuteron elastic-scattering data at 600 MeV/c. The plane-wave expansion in the double-scattering amplitudes is treated more accurately than in earlier work. It is found that this leads to significantly better agreement with the data at high momentum transfer.     

Experimental evidence for narrow baryons in the mass range 1.0≤M≤1.46 GeV

The reaction pp → pπ⁺ X was studied at different incident energies around T _p = 2 GeV. Narrow baryonic structures were observed in the missing mass M _X and in the invariant mass M _pπ{+}. The masses of these structures are 1004, 1044, 1094, 1136, 1173, 1249, 1277, and 1384 MeV (and possibly 1339 MeV). Some of them were also observed at the same masses in the missing-mass spectra of the dp → ppX reaction although with a weaker signature. Many checks were performed to make sure that these structures were not produced by experimental artifacts. Several narrow small-amplitude peaks, were also extracted using already published photonucleon cross-sections. The small widths of all these results, and the stability of the observed structures, regardless of the experiment, were used to conclude that they are genuine baryons and not merely the consequence of dynamical rescatterings. These baryons cannot be associated with classical q³ quark configurations. We associate them with two colored-quark cluster configurations. Received: 3 July 2002 / Accepted: 30 January 2003 / Published online: 5 June 2003     

Higher order two step mechanisms in nucleon antinucleon annihilation and the OZI rule

We evaluate three meson doorway mechanisms for nucleon-antinucleon annihilation at rest for the first time. Detailed results are presented for the final state φπ⁰ originating from the ³S₁ initial state and for the φρ channel originating from ¹S₀. The results presented also include the improved contributions from two meson doorway states and from the tree diagrams. For all the channels considered a consistent explanation of large and small OZI violations emerges. Received: 22 December 1999     

Systematics of collective correlation energies from self-consistent mean-field calculations

We study nucleon-nucleon scattering on the lattice at next-to-leading order in chiral effective field theory. We determine phase shifts and mixing angles from the properties of two-nucleon standing waves induced by a hard spherical wall in the center-of-mass frame. At fixed lattice spacing we test model independence of the low-energy effective theory by computing next-to-leading-order corrections for two different leading-order lattice actions. The first leading-order action includes instantaneous one-pion exchange and same-site contact interactions. The second leading-order action includes instantaneous one-pion exchange and Gaussian-smeared interactions. We find that in each case the results at next-to-leading order are accurate up to corrections expected at higher order.     

First measurements of the 16O(e, e'pn)14N reaction

This paper reports on the first measurement of the ¹⁶O(e, e'pn)¹⁴N reaction. Data were measured in kinematics centred on a super-parallel geometry at energy and momentum transfers of 215MeV and 316MeV/c. The experimental resolution was sufficient to distinguish groups of states in the residual nucleus but not good enough to separate individual states. The data show a strong dependence on missing momentum and this dependence appears to be different for two groups of states in the residual nucleus. Theoretical calculations of the reaction using the Pavia code do not reproduce the shape or the magnitude of the data. An erratum to this article is available at.     

Resonances and final-state interactions in the reaction pp → pK+Λ

A study of the strangeness production reaction pp → pK⁺Λ for excess energies of ε≤150MeV, accessible at high-luminosity accelerator facilities like COSY, is presented. Methods to analyze the Dalitz plot distribution and angular spectra in the Jackson and helicity frames are worked out and suitable observables for extracting information on low-lying resonances that couple to the KΛ system and for determining the Λp effective-range parameters from the final-state interaction are identified and discussed. Furthermore, the chances for identifying the reaction mechanism of strangeness production are investigated.     

New evidence for supernarrow dibaryons production in pd interactions

The analysis of new experimental data, obtained at the Proton Linear Accelerator of INR, with the aim to search for supernarrow dibaryons in the pd↦ppX ₁ and pd↦pdX ₂ reactions is presented. Narrow peaks with an experimental width of 5 MeV at masses of 1904±2, 1926±2, and 1942±2 MeV have been observed in missing mass M _pX1 spectra. In the missing mass M _X1 spectra, the peaks at M _X1 = 966±2, 986±2, and 1003±2 MeV have been found. The analysis of the data obtained leads to the conclusion that the observed peaks in M _pX1 spectra are most likely supernarrow dibaryons, the decay of which into two nucleons is forbidden by the Pauli exclusion principle. An alternative interpretation of the spectra by assuming a decay of the supernarrow dibaryons in “exotic baryon states” with masses M _X1 is discussed. Received: 22 October 2001 / Accepted: 15 November 2001     

Production of a0 +-mesons in the reaction pp↦da0 +

We investigate the reaction pp↦da ₀ ⁺ at COSY and SIS energies together with accompanying background reactions and inclusive particle yields. The a ₀ ⁺ is considered as a usual u quark model state with two decay channels a ₀ ⁺↦K ⁺ and a ₀ ⁺↦π⁺η. Calculated cross-sections for a ₀ ⁺ production as well as for the corresponding non-resonant channels pp↦dK ⁺ and pp↦dπ⁺η are compared. Especially, in case of the final channel dπ⁺η, high statistics measurements are necessary to extract the a ₀ ⁺ signal from the high non-resonant background. Received: 20 December 2000 / Accepted: 7 May 2001