Abstract
The tensor analyzing power component, T-20, of the gamma(d) over right arrow -> pi(0)d process in the photon energy range from 200 to 400 MeV is investigated. This work is motivated by the most recent and unique measurements from the VEPP-3 electron storage ring at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics in Novosibirsk, Russia. We point out a special sensitivity of T-20 to the elementary gamma N -> pi N amplitude and to the realistic NN potential model adopted for the deuteron wave function at backward pion angles, especially in the region 90 degrees < theta < 150 degrees. The estimated results for T-20 are compared with the experimental data from VEPP-3 and a satisfactory agreement is obtained at incident photon energies below 375 MeV. At higher photon energies and extreme backward pion angles, the estimated results of T-20 considerably underestimate the data.