Exclusive production of ηπ− and η′π− has been studied with a 191 GeV/c π− beam impinging on a hydrogen target at COMPASS (CERN). Partial-wave analyses reveal different odd/even angular momentum ( L ) characteristics in the inspected invariant mass range up to 3 GeV/c2 . A striking similarity between the two systems is observed for the L=2,4,6 intensities (scaled by kinematical factors) and the relative phases. The known resonances a2(1320) and a4(2040) are in line with this similarity. In contrast, a strong enhancement of η′π− over ηπ− is found for the L=1,3,5 waves, which carry non- qq¯ quantum numbers. The L=1 intensity peaks at 1.7 GeV/c2 in η′π− and at 1.4 GeV/c2 in ηπ− , the corresponding phase motions with respect to L=2 are different.

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Odd and even partial waves of ηπ− and η′π− in π−p→η(′)π−p at 191 GeV/c