Systematics of inclusive pion double charge exchange in the delta resonance region.

Abstract

A systematic study of inclusive pion double charge exchange is reported for nuclei between A=16 and A=208. The doubly differential cross sections for the A(${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\pi}}}^{+}$,${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\pi}}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$) and A(${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\pi}}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$,${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\pi}}}^{+}$) reactions in $^{16}\mathrm{O}$, $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$, $^{103}\mathrm{Rh}$, and $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ were measured at incident energies between 120 and 270 MeV at three to five outgoing pion angles. Pion spectra were measured over the energy range from 10 MeV to the kinematic limit for double charge exchange. Integrating these spectra over outgoing pion energy generated angular distributions, and subsequently integrating these angular distributions generated total reaction cross sections. The shapes of the measured spectra are compared with those determined by the distribution of events in four-body phase space and with those predicted by a model in which the pion undergoes two sequential single charge exchanges on nucleons in a Fermi gas. The cross sections are compared with predictions of cascade calculations in which more than two interactions, including pion absorption and scattering without charge exchange, may occur.