Search for Narrow $\overline{p}p$ States in the Reaction ${\pi }^{-}p\to p{\pi }^{-}\overline{p}p$ at 16 GeV/c

This Letter carries out a sensitive (∼5 events/nb) search for narrow $\overline{p}p$ states at the Brookhaven National Laboratory multiparticle spectrometer. No evidence is found for such states in the mass range 1900-2400 ${\mathrm{M}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V}/\mathit{c}}^2$ in the reaction ${\pi }^{-}p\to p{\pi }^{-}\overline{p}p$ at 16 GeV/c. In particular, the $\overline{p}p$ states at 2020 and 2200 ${\mathrm{M}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V}/\mathit{c}}^2$ previously reported in a CERN $\Omega$-spectrometer experiment are not observed.