Beam-Target Helicity Asymmetry E in K⁺Σ⁻ Photoproduction On The Neutron

We report a measurement of a beam-target double-polarisation observable (E) for the → n→(p) → K+Σ-(p) reaction. The data were obtained impinging the circularly-polarised energy-tagged photon beam of Hall B at Jefferson Lab on a longitudinally-polarised frozen-spin hydrogen deuteride (HD) nuclear target. The E observable for an effective neutron target was determined for centre-of-mass energies 1.70 ≤ W ≤ 2.30 GeV, with reaction products detected over a wide angular acceptance by the CLAS spectrometer. These new double-polarisation data give unique constraints on the strange decays of excited neutron states. Inclusion of the new data within the Bonn-Gatchina theoretical model results in significant changes for the extracted photocouplings of a number of established nucleon resonances. Possible improvements in the PWA description of the experimental data with additional missing resonance states, including the N(2120)3/2- resonance, are also quantified

Differential Cross Sections for Λ (1520) Using Photoproduction at CLAS

The reaction p → K+Λ (1520) using photoproduction data from the CLAS g12 experiment at Jefferson Lab is studied. The decay of Λ(1520) into two exclusive channels, Σπ+π- and Σ-π+, is studied from the detected K+, π+, and π- particles. A good agreement is established for the Λ(1520) differential cross sections with the previous CLAS measurements. The differential cross sections as a function of center-of-mass angle are extended to higher photon energies. Newly added are the differential cross sections as a function of invariant four-momentum transfer t, which is the natural variable to use for a theoretical model based on a Regge-exchange reaction mechanism. No new N* resonances decaying into the K+Λ (1520) final state are found

First Measurement of Direct Photoproduction of the a\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e(1320)⁰ Meson on the Proton

We present the first measurement of the reaction p -\u3e a₂(1320)⁰ p in the photon energy range 3.5-5.5 GeV and four-momentum transfer squared 0.2 \u3c -t \u3c 2.0 GeV2. Data were collected with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The a2resonance was detected by measuring the reaction p → π0ηp and reconstructing the π0η invariant mass. The most prominent feature of the differential cross section is a dip at -t ≈ 0.55 GeV2. This can be described in the framework of Regge phenomenology, where the exchange degeneracy hypothesis predicts a zero in the reaction amplitude for this value of the four-momentum transfer

Beam Spin Asymmetry in Semi-Inclusive Electroproduction of Hadron Pairs

A first measurement of the longitudinal beam spin asymmetry ALU in the semi-inclusive electroproduction of pairs of charged pions is reported. ALU is a higher-twist observable and offers the cleanest access to the nucleon twist-3 parton distribution function e(x). Data have been collected in the Hall-B at Jefferson Lab by impinging a 5.498-GeV electron beam on a liquid-hydrogen target, and reconstructing the scattered electron and the pion pair with the CLAS detector. One-dimensional projections of the AsinLUϕR moments are extracted for the kinematic variables of interest in the valence quark region. The understanding of dihadron production is essential for the interpretation of observables in single-hadron production in semi-inclusive DIS, and pioneering measurements of single-spin asymmetries in dihadron production open a new avenue in studies of QCD dynamics

Photoproduction of the f₂(1270) Meson Using the CLAS Detector

The quark structure of the f2(1270) meson has, for many years, been assumed to be a pure quark-antiquark (qq⁻) resonance with quantum numbers JPC = 2++. Recently, it was proposed that the f2(1270) is a molecular state made from the attractive interaction of two mesons. Such a state would be expected to decay strongly to final states with charged pions due to the dominant decay → π+π-, whereas decay to two neutral pions would likely be suppressed. Here, we measure for the first time the reaction p -\u3e π0π0p, using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer detector at Jefferson Lab for incident beam energies between 3.6 and 5.4 GeV. Differential cross sections, dσ/dt, for f2(1270) photoproduction are extracted with good precision due to low backgrounds and are compared to theoretical calculations

Photoproduction of η Mesons Off the Proton For 1.2 \u3c E\u3csub\u3eγ\u3c/sub\u3e \u3c 4.7 GeV Using CLAS at Jefferson Laboratory

Photoproduction cross sections are reported for the reaction γp→pη using energy-tagged photons and the CLAS spectrometer at Jefferson Laboratory. The η mesons are detected in their dominant charged decay mode, η→π+π−π0, and results on differential cross sections are presented for incident photon energies between 1.2 and 4.7 GeV. These new η photoproduction data are consistent with earlier CLAS results but extend the energy range beyond the nucleon resonance region into the Regge regime. The normalized angular distributions are also compared with the experimental results from several other experiments, and with predictions of η-MAID 2018 and the latest solution of the Bonn-Gatchina coupled-channel analysis. Differential cross sections dσ/dt are presented for incident photon energies Eγ\u3e2.9GeV (W\u3e2.5GeV), and compared with predictions which are based on Regge trajectories exchange in the t-channel (Regge models). The data confirm the expected dominance of ρ, ω vector-meson exchange in an analysis by the Joint Physics Analysis Center

Beam-Spin Asymmetry Σ for Σ⁻ Hyperon Photoproduction off the Neutron

We report a new measurement of the beam-spin asymmetry, Σ, for the →n → K+Σ− reaction using quasi-free neutrons in a liquid-deuterium target. The new dataset includes data at previously unmeasured photon energy and angular ranges, thereby providing new constraints on partial wave analyses used to extract properties of the excited nucleon states. The experimental data were obtained using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS), housed in Hall B of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab). The CLAS detector measured reaction products from a liquid-deuterium target produced by an energy-tagged, linearly polarised photon beam with energies in the range 1.1 to 2.3 GeV. Predictions from an isobar model indicate strong sensitivity to N(1720)3/2+, Δ(1900)1/2−, and N(1895)1/2−, which corroborates results from a recent combined analysis of all KΣ channels. When our data are incorporated in the fits of partial-wave analyses, one observes significant changes in -n couplings of resonances which have small branching ratios to the πN channel

Observation of Beam Spin Asymmetries in the Process ep → e\u27π⁺π⁻ X with CLAS 12

The observation of beam spin asymmetries in two-pion production in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering off an unpolarized proton target is reported. The data presented here were taken in the fall of 2018 with the CLAS12 spectrometer using a 10.6 GeV longitudinally spin-polarized electron beam delivered by CEBAF at JLab. The measured asymmetries provide the first opportunity to extract the parton distribution function e(x), which provides information about the interaction between gluons and quarks, in a collinear framework that offers cleaner access than previous measurements. The asymmetries also constitute the first ever signal sensitive to the helicity-dependent two-pion fragmentation function G⊥1. A clear sign change is observed around the ρ mass that appears in model calculations and is indicative of the dependence of the produced pions on the helicity of the fragmenting quark

Polarized Structure Function σ\u3csub\u3eLT\u27\u3c/sub\u3e from ⁰p Electroproduction Data in the Resonance Region at 0.2 GeV² \u3c Q² \u3c 1.0 GeV²

The first results on the σLT′ structure function in exclusive π0p electroproduction at invariant masses of the final state of 1.5GeV \u3c W \u3c 1.8 GeV and in the range of photon virtualities 0.4 GeV2 \u3c Q2 \u3c 1.0 GeV2 were obtained from data on beam spin asymmetries and differential cross sections measured with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. The Legendre moments determined from the σLT′ structure function have demonstrated sensitivity to the contributions from the nucleon resonances in the second and third resonance regions. These new data on the beam spin asymmetries in π0p electroproduction extend the opportunities for the extraction of the nucleon resonance electro-excitation amplitudes in the mass range above 1.6 GeV

Improved Λp Elastic Scattering Cross Sections Between 0.9 and 2.0 GeV/c as a Main Ingredient of the Neutron Star Equation of State

Strange matter is believed to exist in the cores of neutron stars based on simple kinematics. If this is true, then hyperon-nucleon interactions will play a significant part in the neutron star equation of state. Yet, compared to other elastic scattering processes, there is very little data on Λ-N scattering. This experiment utilized the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) detector to study the Λp→Λp elastic scattering cross section in the incident Λ momentum range 0.9-2.0  GeV/c. These are the first data on this reaction since the 1970s. The new cross sections have significantly better accuracy and precision than the existing world data, and the techniques developed here can also be used in future experiments