We have studied the diffractive dissociation into dijets of 500 GeV/c pions scattering coherently from carbon and platinum targets. Extrapolating to asymptotically high energies (where t(min)-->0), we find that when the per-nucleus cross section for this process is parametrized as sigma = sigma0Aalpha, alpha has values near 1.6, the exact result depending on jet transverse momentum. These values are in agreement with those predicted by theoretical calculations of color-transparency.

A model-independent partial-wave analysis of the S-wave component of the K system from decays of D mesons to the three-body K ÿ final state is described. Data come from the Fermilab E791 experiment. Amplitude measurements are made independently for ranges of K ÿ invariant mass, and results are obtained below 825 MeV=c 2 , where previous measurements exist only in two mass bins. This method of parametrizing a three-body decay amplitude represents a new approach to analyzing such decays. Though no model is required for the S-wave, a parametrization of the relatively well-known reference P-and D-waves, optimized to describe the data used, is required. In this paper, a Breit-Wigner model is adopted to describe the resonances in these waves. The observed phase variation for the S-, P-, and D-waves do not match existing measurements of I 1 2 K ÿ scattering in the invariant mass range in which scattering is predominantly elastic. If the data are mostly I 1 2 , this observation indicates that the Watson theorem, which requires these phases to have the same dependence on invariant mass, may not apply to these decays without allowing for some interaction with the other pion. The production rate of K ÿ from these decays, if assumed to be predominantly I 1 2 , is also found to have a significant dependence on invariant mass in the region above 1:25 GeV=c 2. These measurements can provide a relatively model-free basis for future attempts to determine which strange scalar amplitudes contribute to the decays.

A model-independent partial-wave analysis of the S-wave component of the Kπ system from decays of D + mesons to the three-body K − π + π + final state is described. Data come from the Fermilab E791 experiment. Amplitude measurements are made independently for ranges of K − π + invariant mass, and results are obtained below 825 MeV/c 2 , where previous measurements exist only in two mass bins. This method of parametrizing a three-body decay amplitude represents a new approach to analysing such decays. Though no model is required for the S-wave, a parametrization of the relatively well-known reference P -and D-waves, optimized to describe the data used, is required. In this paper, a Breit-Wigner model is adopted to describe the resonances in these waves. The observed phase variation for the S-, P -and D-waves do not match existing measurements of I = 1 2 K − π + scattering in the invariant mass range in which scattering is predominantly elastic. If the data are mostly I = 1 2 , this observation indicates that the Watson theorem, which requires these phases to have the same dependence on invariant mass, may not apply to these decays without allowing for some interaction with the other pion. The production rate of K − π + from these decays, if assumed to be predominantly I = 1 2 , is also found to have a significant dependence on invariant mass in the region above 1.25 GeV/c 2 . These measurements can provide a relatively model-free basis for future attempts to determine which strange scalar amplitudes contribute to the decays.

We present the first direct measurements of the pion valence-quark momentum distribution which is related to the square of the pion light-cone wave function. The measurements were carried out using data on diffractive dissociation of 500 GeV/c pi(-) into dijets from a platinum target at Fermilab experiment E791. The results show that the /q&q> light-cone asymptotic wave function describes the data well for Q2 approximately 10 (GeV/c)(2) or more. We also measured the transverse momentum distribution of the diffractive dijets.

From a sample of 848+/-44 D(+)(s)-->pi(-)pi(+)pi(+) decays, we find gamma(D(+)(s)-->pi(-)pi(+)pi(+))/gamma(D(+)(s)-->straight phipi(+)) = 0.245+/-0.028(+0.019)(-0.012). Using a Dalitz plot analysis of this three body decay, we find significant contributions from the channels rho(0)(770)pi(+), rho(0)(1450)pi(+), f(0)(980)pi(+), f(2)(1270)pi(+), and f(0)(1370)pi(+). We also present the values obtained for masses and widths of the resonances f(0)(980) and f(0)(1370).