Systematic Study of Two-Pion Production in NN Collisions -- from Single-Baryon to Di-Baryon Excitations

The two-pion production in nucleon-nucleon collisions has been studied by exclusive and kinematically complete experiments from threshold up to $T_p$ = 1.36 GeV at CELSIUS-WASA. At near-threshold energies the total and differential distributions for the $\pi^+\pi^-$ and $\pi^0\pi^0$ channels are dominated by Roper excitation and its decay into $N\sigma$ and $\Delta\pi$ channels. At beam energies $T_p >$ 1.1 GeV the $\Delta\Delta$ excitation governs the two-pion production process. In the $\pi^+\pi^+$ channel evidence is found for the excitation of a higher-lying I=3/2 resonance, favorably the $\Delta(1600)$. The isovector fusion processes leading to the deuteron and to quasi-stable $^2$He, respectively, %with the production of an isovector pion-pair exhibit no or only a modest ABC-effect, {\it i.e.} low-mass enhancement in the $\pi\pi$-invariant mass spectrum, and can be described by conventional $t$-channel $\Delta\Delta$ excitation. On the other hand, the isoscalar fusion process to the deuteron %with the production of an isoscalar pion-pair exhibits a dramatic ABC-effect correlated with a narrow resonance-like energy dependence in the total cross section with a width of only 50 MeV and situated at a mass 90 MeV below the $\Delta\Delta$ mass.Comment: Proceedings HADRON0

Double-Pionic Fusion of Nuclear Systems and the ABCEffect -- Aproaching a Puzzle by Exclusive and Kinematically Complete Measurements

The ABC effect - a puzzling low-mass enhancement in the $\pi\pi$ invariant mass spectrum - is well-known from inclusive measurements of two-pion production in nuclear fusion reactions. Here we report on first exclusive and kinematically complete measurements of the most basic double pionic fusion reaction $pn \to d \pi^0\pi^0$ at 1.03 and 1.35 GeV. The measurements, which have been carried out at CELSIUS-WASA, reveal the ABC effect to be a $(\pi\pi)_{I=L=0}$ channel phenomenon associated with both a resonance-like energy dependence in the integral cross section and the formation of a $\Delta\Delta$ system in the intermediate state. A corresponding simple s-channel resonance ansatz provides a surprisingly good description of the data

Optical nanofibers and spectroscopy

We review our recent progress in the production and characterization of tapered optical fibers with a sub-wavelength diameter waist. Such fibers exhibit a pronounced evanescent field and are therefore a useful tool for highly sensitive evanescent wave spectroscopy of adsorbates on the fiber waist or of the medium surrounding. We use a carefully designed flame pulling process that allows us to realize preset fiber diameter profiles. In order to determine the waist diameter and to verify the fiber profile, we employ scanning electron microscope measurements and a novel accurate in situ optical method based on harmonic generation. We use our fibers for linear and non-linear absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy of surface-adsorbed organic molecules and investigate their agglomeration dynamics. Furthermore, we apply our spectroscopic method to quantum dots on the surface of the fiber waist and to caesium vapor surrounding the fiber. Finally, towards dispersive measurements, we present our first results on building and testing a single-fiber bi-modal interferometer.Comment: 13 pages, 18 figures. Accepted for publication in Applied Physics B. Changes according to referee suggestions: changed title, clarification of some points in the text, added references, replacement of Figure 13

Cross section ratio and angular distributions of the reaction p + d -> 3He + eta at 48.8 MeV and 59.8 MeV excess energy

We present new data for angular distributions and on the cross section ratio of the p + d -> 3He + eta reaction at excess energies of Q = 48.8 MeV and Q = 59.8 MeV. The data have been obtained at the WASA-at-COSY experiment (Forschungszentrum J\"ulich) using a proton beam and a deuterium pellet target. While the shape of obtained angular distributions show only a slow variation with the energy, the new results indicate a distinct and unexpected total cross section fluctuation between Q = 20 MeV and Q = 60 MeV, which might indicate the variation of the production mechanism within this energy interval.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure

Measurement of the pn→ppπ0π−pn \to pp\pi^0\pi^- Reaction in Search for the Recently Observed Resonance Structure in dπ0π0d\pi^0\pi^0 and dπ+π−d\pi^+\pi^- systems

Exclusive measurements of the quasi-free $pn \to pp\pi^0\pi^-$ 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 energy region $\sqrt s$ = (2.35 - 2.46) GeV, which includes the region of the ABC effect and its associated resonance structure. No ABC effect, {\it i.e.} low-mass enhancement is found in the $\pi^0\pi^-$-invariant mass spectrum -- in agreement with the constraint from Bose statistics that the isovector pion pair can not be in relative s-wave. At the upper end of the covered energy region $t$-channel processes for Roper, $\Delta(1600)$ and $\Delta\Delta$ excitations provide a reasonable description of the data, but at low energies the measured cross sections are much larger than predicted by such processes. Adding a resonance amplitude for the resonance at $m$=~2.37 GeV with $\Gamma$ =~70 MeV and $I(J^P)=~0(3^+)$ observed recently in $pn \to d\pi^0\pi^0$ and $pn \to d\pi^+\pi^-$ reactions leads to an agreement with the data also at low energies

Evidence for a New Resonance from Polarized Neutron-Proton Scattering

Exclusive and kinematically complete high-statistics measurements of quasifree polarized $\vec{n}p$ scattering have been performed in the energy region of the narrow resonance structure $d^*$ with $I(J^P) = 0(3^+)$, $M \approx$ 2380 MeV/$c^2$ and $\Gamma \approx$ 70 MeV observed recently in the double-pionic fusion channels $pn \to d\pi^0\pi^0$ and $pn \to d\pi^+\pi^-$. The experiment was carried out with the WASA detector setup at COSY having a polarized deuteron beam impinged on the hydrogen pellet target and utilizing the quasifree process $\vec{d}p \to np + p_{spectator}$. That way the $np$ analyzing power $A_y$ was measured over a large angular range. The obtained $A_y$ angular distributions deviate systematically from the current SAID SP07 NN partial-wave solution. Incorporating the new $A_y$ data into the SAID analysis produces a pole in the $^3D_3 - ^3G_3$ waves as expected from the $d^*$ resonance hypothesis