Comment on "Evaluation of the Pion-Nucleon Sigma Term from CHAOS Data"

Abstract: The value of $59 \pm 12$ MeV for the pion-nucleon ($\pi N$) $\Sigma$ term, which Stahov, Clement, and Wagner recently extracted from the differential cross sections (DCSs) of the CHAOS Collaboration, does not match well the expectation of an enhanced (more positive) isoscalar component in the $\pi N$ interaction at low energies, which the rest of the modern (meson-factory) data favour. However, we have already demonstrated that the angular distribution of the CHAOS $\pi⁺ p$ DCSs is not compatible in shape with the rest of the modern low-energy $\pi⁺ p$ data. This problem must be addressed and resolved by the CHAOS Collaboration prior to the extrapolation of their partial-wave amplitudes into the unphysical region.