Mechanism for the f0(980) production in the reaction π- p → π0π0n

The model of the pure one-pion exchange mechanism, which gives a good description of the GAMS results on the alteration of the S-wave pi(0)pi(0) mass spectrum in the f(0)(980) region in the reaction pi(-)p --> pi(0)pi(0)n with increasing -t, is compared with the recent detailed data on the m and t distributions of the pi(-)p --> pi(0)pi(0)n events obtained by the BNL-E852 Collaboration. It is shown that the predictions of this model are not confirmed by the BNL data. Therefore, the observed phenomenon should be explained by some different exchange mechanism. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.