Photoproduction of charged π mesons from protons and neutrons in the energy range between 250 and 790 MeV

The differential cross sections for γp→π⁺n from hydrogen and the $\text{π}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{π}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ ratios from deuterium were measured at nine c.m. angles between 30° and 150° for laboratory photon energies between 260 and 800 MeV. A magnetic spectrometer with three layers of scintillation hodoscope was used to detect charged π mesons. The cross section for γn→π^?p was obtained as a product of $\text{d}\text{σ}\text{d}\text{Ω}\text{(γ}\text{p}\text{→π}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{n}\text{)}$ and the $\text{π}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{π}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ ratio. The overall features in the cross sections of the two reactions, γp→π⁺n and γn→π^?p, and in the ratios, $\text{π}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{π}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$, agree with predictions by Moorhouse, Oberlack and Rosenfeld, and Metcalf and Walker. An investigation of the possible existence of an isotensor current was made and a negative result was found. In detailed balance comparison with the new results on the inverse reaction π^?p→γn, no apparent violation of time-reversal invariance was observed.