π±pElastic Scattering in the 2-GeV Region

${\pi }^{\pm }p$ elastic differential cross sections in the momentum range 1.72-2.80 GeV/c have been measured at the proton synchrotron "NIMROD" of the Rutherford High Energy Laboratory. The results are tabulated, and analyses of the differential cross sections employing optical models and Legendre polynomial expansions are advanced. A critical discussion of a recent interpretation of differential-cross-section structure in terms of interference between resonant and background amplitudes is presented.