First measurement of the depolarization parameter D0n0n of the pp → nn charge-exchange reaction

Abstract The depolarization parameter D 0 n 0 n in the charge-exchange reaction p p ↑→ n n ↑ has been measured for the first time at the CERN Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR) at 875 MeV/ c antiproton beam momentum, in the forward hemisphere. The measured values of D 0 n 0 n are always smaller than ±0.3, indicating that the two-spin amplitudes dominate the scattering matrix as suggested by the meson exchange potential models.