ANALYSIS OF SINGLE AND COHERENT NUCLEON DIFFRACTION DISSOCIATION AT ISR ENERGIES

We present the analysis of a combined measurement of neutron and proton diffraction dissociation into (Nπ) and (Nππ) final states, both on proton and deuteron targets. The experiment was performed at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings with the Split Field Magnet detector using proton and deuteron colliding beams. Mass spectra and decay angular distributions are compared with the predictions of a dual-reggeized Deck model. Strong decay angular correlations are observed in all cases. Pronounced structures observed in the differential cross sections of the coherent diffractive processes for small produced masses are interpreted in terms of constructive interference between the single- and double-scattering terms in a Glauber analysis. These interference effects cannot be reproduced by a central dissociation mechanism and require a peripheral description of the elementary nucleon-nucleon diffractive production amplitudes. © 1979.