Isoscalar-Isovector Interferences in πN \to N e^+ e^- Reactions as a Probe of Baryon Resonance Dynamics
Abstract
The isoscalar-isovector (\rho-\omega) interferences in the exclusive reactions \pi^- p \to n e^+ e^- and \pi^+ n \to p e^+ e^- near the \omega threshold leads to a distinct difference of the dielectron invariant mass distributions depending on beam energy. The strength of this effect is determined by the coupling of resonances to the nucleon vector-meson channels and other resonance properties. Therefore, a combined analysis of these reactions can be used as a tool for determining the baryon resonance dynamics.