BackwardN*production in proton-deuteron scattering and nuclear isobar configurations

Spectator nucleon isobar production in $\mathrm{pd}\to d^{\prime }{N}^{*}$ is studied at 0.5-1.0-GeV proton c.m. energy and proposed as a probe of the ($N{N}^{*}$) content of the deuteron. The $N^{*}$ spectator distribution from the nucleon pickup mechanism has a maximum at large angles and vanishes at 180°, while the background cross sections of $N^{*}$' s produced in the elementary $\mathrm{pN}\to N{N}^{*}$ collision and $N^{*}$'s from a pion-nucleon exchange mechanism peak at 180° and fall of rapidly. For an estimated $N{N}^{*}\mathrm{}\left(1520\right)\mathrm{}$ probability of 1.5%, a large-angle cross section of ∼ 0.2μb/sr is obtained.