Photoproduction of Charged Pions in the Forward Direction and Regge Poles

Abstract

We propose here a test, using linearly polarized photons, of the hypothesis that the forward peak in charged-pion photoproduction is due to a conspiracy between the pion and an opposite-parity conspirator. The energy dependence of the differential cross section for photons linearly polarized in the plane of scattering can distinguish between a nucleon pole leading to the forward peak or a pion conspirator.