RESONANT QUADRUPOLE AMPLITUDES IN THE N-]DELTA TRANSITION

A series of high precision, exclusive measurements on the N --> Delta transition involving polarized beams, out-of-plane detection and focal plane polarimetry in the H((e) over right arrow, e'p)pi(0) and H((e) over right arrow, e'pi(+))n channels have been pursued at Bates during : the last three years. They are geared towards the precise determinat ion of the quadrupole amplitudes in the N --> n transition and the iso lation of the coherent, competing processes (e.g. born terms, tails of higher resonances). The issue is of fundamental interest to hadronic physics as it pertains to interquark forces and the structure of hadro ns, It is pursed intensively both theoretically and experimentally at many laboratories. The recent precise Bates electroproduction data do not support earlier claims for a strong Coulomb quadrupole amplitude. The available theoretical calculations fail to reproduce the isolated responses.