Coherent photoproduction of pi^0- and eta-mesons off 7Li

TL;DR

This study measures coherent photoproduction of pi^0 and eta mesons from 7Li nuclei across various energies, providing new insights into nuclear form factors and meson-nucleus interactions near production thresholds.

Contribution

First measurement of coherent pi^0 and eta meson photoproduction off 7Li, comparing results to theoretical models and expanding understanding of meson production in light nuclei.

Findings

Pi^0 production data consistent with nuclear form factors.

Eta production aligns with plane-wave approximation, no threshold enhancement observed.

Contrasts with previous eta results in 3He showing no quasi-bound state evidence.

Abstract

Coherent photoproduction of $\pi^0$-mesons from threshold ($E_{th} \approx$ 136 MeV) throughout the $\Delta$-resonance region and of $\eta$-mesons close to the production threshold ($E_{th} \approx$ 570 MeV for $\eta$) has been measured for $^7$Li nuclei. The experiment was performed using the tagged-photon beam of the Mainz MAMI accelerator with the Crystal Ball and TAPS detectors combined to give an almost 4$\pi$ solid-angle electromagnetic calorimeter. The reactions were identified by a combined invariant-mass and missing-energy analysis. A comparison of the pion data to plane-wave impulse modelling tests the nuclear mass form factor. So far coherent $\eta$-production had been only identified for the lightest nuclear systems ($^2$H and $^3$He). For $^3$He a large enhancement of the cross section above plane-wave approximations had been reported, indicating the formation of a quasi-bound state. The present Li-data for $\eta$-production agree with a plane-wave approximation. Contrary to $^3$He, neither a threshold enhancement of the total cross section nor a deviation of the angular distributions from the expected form-factor dependence were observed.