Can One See Isobars in the Deuteron?

Abstract

The reaction $\ensuremath{\pi}d\ensuremath{\rightarrow}N\ensuremath{\Delta}$ is studied as a probe of the $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\Delta}$ content of the deuteron. Assuming a $\ensuremath{\Delta}$-exchange mechanism, the cross section is expected to be 10-100 \ensuremath{\mu}b at 1 GeV for an estimated probability of about 1% for the $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\Delta}$ configuration.