Physics at the front-end of a neutrino factory: a quantitative appraisal

We present a quantitative appraisal of the physics potential for neutrino experiments at the front-end of a muon storage ring. We estimate the forseeable accuracy in the determination of several interesting observables, and explore the consequences of these measurements. We discuss the extraction of individual quark and antiquark densities from polarized and unpolarized deep-inelastic scattering. In particular we study the implications for the undertanding of the nucleon spin structure. We assess the determination of alpha_s from scaling violation of structure functions, and from sum rules, and the determination of sin^2(theta_W) from elastic nu-e and deep-inelastic nu-p scattering. We then consider the production of charmed hadrons, and the measurement of their absolute branching ratios. We study the polarization of Lambda baryons produced in the current and target fragmentation regions. Finally, we discuss the sensitivity to physics beyond the Standard Model.Comment: 73+1 pages, 33 figs. Report of the nuDIS Working Group for the ECFA-CERN Neutrino-Factory study, M.L. Mangano (convener

Hard exclusive electroproduction of π⁺π^-pairs

Hard exclusive electroproduction of pi(+) pi(-) pairs off hydrogen and deuterium targets has been studied by the HERMES experiment at DESY Legendre moments (P-1) and (P-3) of the angular distributions of pi(+) mesons in the center-of-mass frame of the pair have been measured for the first time. Their dependence on the pi(+) pi(-) invariant mass can be understood as being due to the interference between relative P-wave (isovector) and S-, D-wave (isoscalar) states of the two pions. The increase in magnitude of (P-1) as Bjorken x increases is interpreted in the framework of generalized parton distributions as an enhancement of flavour non-singlet qq exchange for larger values of x, which leads to a sizable admixture of isoscalar and isovector pion pairs. In addition, the interference between P-wave and D-wave states separately for transverse and longitudinal pion pairs has been studied. The data indicate that in the f(2)(1270) region at [Q(2)] = 3 GeV2 higher-twist effects can be as large as the leading-twist longitudinal component

Spin density matrix elements in exclusive ρ0\mathrm{\rho^0} electroproduction on 1H\mathrm{^1H} and 2H\mathrm{^2H} targets at 27.5 GeV beam energy

Spin Density Matrix Elements (SDMEs) describing the angular distribution of exclusive rho^0 electroproduction and decay are determined in the HERMES experiment with 27.6 GeV beam energy and unpolarized hydrogen and deuterium targets. Eight (fifteen) SDMEs that are related (unrelated) to the longitudinal polarization of the beam are extracted in the kinematic region 1 GeV^2 < Q^2 < 7 GeV^2, 3.0 GeV < W < 6.3 GeV, and -t < 0.4 GeV^2. Within the given experimental uncertainties, a hierarchy of relative sizes of helicity amplitudes is observed. Kinematic dependences of all SDMEs on Q^2 and t are presented, as well as the longitudinal-to-transverse rho^0 electroproduction cross section ratio as a function of Q^2. A small but statistically significant deviation from the hypothesis of s-channel helicity conservation is observed. An indication is seen of a contribution of unnatural-parity-exchange amplitudes; these amplitudes are naturally generated with a quark-exchange mechanism.Comment: 41 pages, 20 figures, 16 table; revised version corrects small typos, text clarified on 6 pages, two references added and new data added to figure 2