Photoproduction of Pion Pairs at Moderate Energies

Abstract

The problem of the production of pion pairs in photon-nucleon collisions is studied with the help of a new Lagrangian model. Using a relativistic covariant and gauge-invariant scattering amplitude based on a phenomenological Lagrangian, the differential and total cross sections are calculated for unpolarized and linearly polarized photons. The production amplitude incorporates terms involving 8(700), p(770), f(1260) and A(1236) resonances in addition to the nucleon and pion exchanges.