Radiative return at e+e- factories

2002

The energy dependence of the electron - positron hadronic cross section can be measured not only by a straightforward energy scan, but also by means of the radiative return method. To provide extensive comparisons between theory and experiment a Monte Carlo event generator is an indispensable tool. We have developed such a generator called PHOKHARA, which simulates e+e- -> mesons + photon(s) processes. In this paper we present its latest tests and upgrades.