Search for narrow baryons in π-p elastic scattering at large angles

Hoping to find resonant structures in the momentum dependence of π-p elastic scattering we have measured the differential cross section for this reaction at c.m. angles near 900. An intense pion beam (approx. 107 π/s) has been used, together with a high incident momentum resolution (dP/P approx. 2 x 10-4), to scan the region of laboratory momenta from 5.75 to 13.02 GeV/c (c.m. energy from 3.42 to 5.03 GeV). The sensitivity attained by the experiments is such that signals would have been seen corresponding to the formation of non-strange baryon resonances having width larger than approx. 0.1 MeV and elasticity larger than a few per cent. Within these limits no resonances were sighted. (orig.)