Study of the reaction π+p → π+ppp-bar at 10.3 GeV/c

We have measured the production cross sections for the reactions π+p → π+ppp-bar and π+p → Δ++(1232) pp-bar to be 18.8 +- 2.2 μb and 8.8 +- 1.9 μb respectively at 10.3 GeV/c. Both cross sections appear to be energy-independent in the region 8.05--18.5 GeV/c. In the latter reaction the decay angular distributions of the Δ++, together with the Treiman-Yang angular distribution of the pp-bar system, imply the possibility of one-pion and rho exchange as mechanisms for Δ++pp-bar production. Evidence for beam diffraction dissociation is observed, but none for target dissociation. Other than the Δ++(1232), no definite resonant states are observed