Isospin breaking in the reaction np --> dpi^0 at threshold

The model for charge symmetry breaking in the reaction np --> dpi^0 applied earlier around the Delta region is used to calculate the integrated forward-backward asymmetry of the cross section close to threshold. The mixing of the pi and eta mesons appears as strongly dominant at these energies. This contrasts elastic np scattering experiments, where the np mass difference in OPE dominates, or np --> d\pi^0 closer to the Delta region.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, submitted to Few-Body System

Comment on "Role of heavy meson exchange in near threshold N N --> d pi"

In a recent paper by C. J. Horowitz (Phys. Rev. C {\bf 48}, 2920 (1993)) a heavy meson exchange is incorporated into threshold NN --> d pi to enhance the grossly underestimated cross section. However, that calculation uses an unjustified assumption on the initial and final momenta, which causes an overestimate of this effect by a factor of 3--4. I point out that the inclusion of the Delta(1232) isobar increases the cross section significantly even at threshold.Comment: 7 pages, figures by fax or mail from [email protected]

Charge symmetry breaking as a probe for the real part of eta--nucleus scattering lengths

We demonstrate that one can use the occurrence of charge symmetry breaking as a tool to explore the eta--nucleus interaction near the eta threshold. Based on indications that the cross section ratio of pi+ and pi0 production on nuclei deviates from the isotopic value in the vicinity of the eta production threshold, due to, e.g., pi0-eta mixing, we argue that a systematic study of this ratio as a function of the energy would allow to pin down the sign of the real part of the eta-nucleus scattering length. This sign plays an important role in the context of the possible existence of eta-nucleus bound states.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur