PROTON POLARIZATION FROM PI+ ABSORPTION IN HE-3

We present the first polarization measurements for pion absorption on a nucleus heavier than the deuteron. The polarization of protons resulting from pi+ absorption in He-3 was measured at bombarding energies of 120 and 250 MeV. Protons from absorption in a quasideuteron were selected by applying kinematical constraints. A significant discrepancy was observed between the experimental results and theoretical predictions. At 120 MeV the polarizations for He-3 are consistent with those of the deuteron. At 250 MeV the angular distribution of the polarization is significantly different than for the deuteron, showing sensitivity to the nuclear density, and thus may be sensitive to short range nucleon correlations.