The production of the ω0 meson in the reaction π+d → pSpω0 at 4 GeV/c

Abstract The reaction π + n → ω 0 p has been studied at 4 GeV/ c giving a total cross section of 313 ± 26 μ b. The sample of about 3500 ω 0 events produced in the forward direction has been used to determine the differential cross section and the spin density matrix elements. The effective trajectory for unnatural parity exchange has been determined by a comparison of ϱ 00 d σ /d t at different energies. A comparison of ϱ 00 d σ /d t has been made with the similar data for ϱ 0 production in this experiment allowing π-B exchange degeneracy and ϱ-ω interference to be investigated. These methods result in an unnatural trajectory consistent with that expected for the B-meson. A further study of ϱ-ω interference has been made by comparing the reactions π + n → ω 0 p and π − p → ω 0 n at similar energies. Our results on ω and ϱ production are combined with data on K ∗0 and K ∗0 production at 4 GeV/ c and an SU(3) sum rule relating the production of these four mesons is shown to be satisfied.