Production of charged hadrons, π0 and electron pairs in 70 GeV/c π−p interactions

Charged multiplicity and π 0 cross sections for π − p inelastic interactions at 70 GeV/ c are presented. The data were obtained from an exposure of the BEBC bubble chamber equipped with a track sensitive target (TST) to an unseparated negative beam at the CERN SPS. About 10 000 events were used for the charged multiplicity study, and about 2000 Dalitz pairs for the π 0 production analysis. A total of 12 e + e − pairs with a mass higher than the π 0 mass were found and analysed in terms of η or ω Dalitz pairs or decay pairs of vector mesons. Comparisons with data at other energies are made in terms of charged prong, π 0 cross sections, and of multiplicity parameters. The moments of longitudinal and transverse momentum distributions of the π 0 are determined and compared to the predictions of quark counting rule models.