PRODUCTION AND DECAY OF THE D-ASTERISK DIBARYON

The production of the isoscalar J(pi)=3(+) didelta dibaryon d by prot on inelastic scattering from deuteron targets is described in a double -scattering Glauber approximation. Each scattering changes a target nu cleon into a Delta with the help of the isovector tensor force transmi tted by pi and rho mesons. The differential cross section constructed from empirical Love-Franey nucleon-nucleon t matrices and a simple mod el of d shows a maximum of some 10 mu b/sr at 70 degrees (c.m.) for 5 00 MeV protons. The partial width of the decay d-->NN caused by the e xchanges of the same mesons is found for this simple model of d to be about 9 MeV if the d mass is 2100 MeV. The implications of these res ults are discussed.