Comment on `Measurement of the $\pi^+ \vec p$ analyzing power at 68.3 MeV'

Abstract

We comment on a recent paper by Weiser et al. [Phys. Rev. C {\bf 54}, 1930 (1996)]. The authors have performed a single-energy analysis of $\pi^+ p$ scattering data at 68.3 MeV, finding a value for the $S_{31}$ phase shift about 1^o smaller than found in the Karlsruhe-Helsinki (KH) partial-wave analysis. The authors use this result to argue for a dispersion relation analysis using recently measured data, so that their effect on the $\pi NN$ coupling constant (f^2) and $\Sigma$ amplitude can be determined. We note that these tasks were accomplished prior to the submission of the above paper. We clarify the effect of this new analyzing power data on f^2 and the $\Sigma$ amplitude.