Inclusive Pion Double Charge Exchange in Light P - Nuclei at Intermediate Energies.

Inclusive measurements of the doubly differential cross section for the reaction pion double charge exchange (DCX) reaction were made on ^6Li, ^7Li, ^9Be and ^{12}C. The experiments were performed at the Los Alamos Physics Facility (LAMPF) using the "Little Yellow Spectrometer", LYS. The measurements were made for both pi^+ and pi^- at T_ pi = 120, 180, and 240 MeV for three to five angles between 25^circ and 130^circ. The outgoing pion kinetic energy range was observed. These are the only known measurements of inclusive DCX cross sections on the ^6Li, ^7Li and ^9Be nuclei. The DCX reaction requires at least two nucleons to be involved in order to conserve charge. The simplest reaction model for DCX is the sequential single charge exchange model, SSCX. The measurements aimed to examine the evolution of the double peaked structure seen at high incident pion energy at forward angles as the nuclear mass, A, increases. The double peaked structure is believed to be a direct consequence of the dominant p-wave nature of the SCX reaction in the Delta -region and the two step process of SSCX. Furthermore, an examination of the effects of introducing an additional neutron into an N = Z system is made. When the additional neutron is not involved in the DCX process, it functions to draw flux away from the DCX channel, thereby reducing the DCX cross section. Calculations based on theoretical models of Oset and Kinney have been performed and a comparison made with the measured DCX cross sections. The comparison between experiment and theory shows the need for further theoretical work in inclusive DCX reactions. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617 -253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.).