Role of the Δ-isobar excitation mechanism in the reaction pp → {pp}sπ0
The mechanism of Δ-isobar excitation in the intermediate state of the reaction pp → {pp}sπ0, where {pp}s is a pair of protons in state 1S0 at excitation energy Epp < 3 MeV, is used to calculate the differential cross section of this reaction in the energy range of 0.3–1 GeV. It is shown that the main contribution is made by three partial waves in the pp channel: 3P0, 3P2 and 3F2. The model explains the position of the peak observed at a beam energy of GeV and a zero diproton scattering angle, but cannot describe its absolute value.