Reaction p+p to gamma +anything at 205 GeV and its implications for pi /sup 0/ production

From observations of photon conversions into electron pairs in the 30- in. hydrogen bubble chamber exposed to a 205-GeV proton beam at the National Accelerator Laboratory, topological and differential cross sections for the inclusive reaction p+p to gamma +anything have been measured. Comparison with data on the same reaction at the CERN intersecting storage rings suggests that pi /sup 0/ production in pp collisions has reached a scaling limit by 205 GeV. We find that for multiplicities up to about 12, the average number of pi /sup 0/'s per inelastic pp collision increases with the number of charged particles produced. (14 refs)