Experimental analysis of pp interactions between 0 and 1.2 GeV/c: Evidence for a pp → 5π effect near 1950 MeV/c2

An experimental analysis of $\text{p}\text{p}$ interactions between the $\text{p}$p threshold (√s = 1878 MeV) and √s = 2 100 MeV leads to clear evidence for an s-channel effect in the reaction $\text{p}\text{p}\text{→ π}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{π}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{π}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{π}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{π}{}^0\text{at}\text{1949 ± 10}\text{MeV}\text{/c}{}^2\text{(Γ ? 80}\text{MeV}\text{/c}{}^2\text{)}$. A comparison is made with the backward elastic scattering and charge-exchange behaviour. An interpretation in terms of an object strongly coupled to mesonic decay modes, with small or middle-sized elasticity (x ? 0.135_?0.06^+0.13) is given. No significant narrow structure is observed in the backward elastic scattering between 1.9 and 2 GeV. The experimental resolution of √s in this case is 2 MeV.