Reactionspd→3He η andpd→3Heπ+π−near the η threshold

The reaction {ital pd}{r_arrow}{sup 3}He{eta} has been studied with the SPES2 spectrometer, for proton energies between 0.2 MeV and 11 MeV above threshold. The total cross section rises from 0.25 to 0.40 {mu}b in this region. The observed energy dependence can be attributed to the strong final state interaction. The angular distribution is nearly isotropic, consistent with {ital S} wave production. A measurement of the {ital pd}{r_arrow}{sup 3}He{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup {minus}} cross section in the threshold region is also presented. The setup, which is capable of producing 10{sup 5} tagged {eta}/s with only a few percent background, is used to investigate rare {eta} decays. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}