118 research outputs found

    Target and beam-target spin asymmetries in exclusive pion electroproduction for Q2>1GeV2 . I. ep→eπ+n

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    Beam-target double-spin asymmetries and target single-spin asymmetries were measured for the exclusive π + electroproduction reaction γ ∗ p → n π + . The results were obtained from scattering of 6-GeV longitudinally polarized electrons off longitudinally polarized protons using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer at Jefferson Laboratory. The kinematic range covered is 1.1 < W < 3 GeV and 1 < Q 2 < 6 GeV 2 . Results were obtained for about 6000 bins in W ,   Q 2 ,   cos ( θ ∗ ) , and ϕ ∗ . Except at forward angles, very large target-spin asymmetries are observed over the entire W region. Reasonable agreement is found with phenomenological fits to previous data for W < 1.6 GeV, but very large differences are seen at higher values of W . A generalized parton distributions (GPD)-based model is in poor agreement with the data. When combined with cross-sectional measurements, the present results provide powerful constraints on nucleon resonance amplitudes at moderate and large values of Q 2 , for resonances with masses as high as 2.4 GeV

    Towards a resolution of the proton form factor problem: new electron and positron scattering data

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    There is a significant discrepancy between the values of the proton electric form factor, GEpG_E^p, extracted using unpolarized and polarized electron scattering. Calculations predict that small two-photon exchange (TPE) contributions can significantly affect the extraction of GEpG_E^p from the unpolarized electron-proton cross sections. We determined the TPE contribution by measuring the ratio of positron-proton to electron-proton elastic scattering cross sections using a simultaneous, tertiary electron-positron beam incident on a liquid hydrogen target and detecting the scattered particles in the Jefferson Lab CLAS detector. This novel technique allowed us to cover a wide range in virtual photon polarization (ε\varepsilon) and momentum transfer (Q2Q^2) simultaneously, as well as to cancel luminosity-related systematic errors. The cross section ratio increases with decreasing ε\varepsilon at Q2=1.45 GeV2Q^2 = 1.45 \text{ GeV}^2. This measurement is consistent with the size of the form factor discrepancy at Q21.75Q^2\approx 1.75 GeV2^2 and with hadronic calculations including nucleon and Δ\Delta intermediate states, which have been shown to resolve the discrepancy up to 232-3 GeV2^2.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR

    Beam-target helicity asymmetry for γ→n→→π−p in the N*resonance region

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    We report the first beam-target double-polarization asymmetries in the γ þ nðpÞ → π− þ pðpÞ reaction spanning the nucleon resonance region from invariant mass W ¼ 1500 to 2300 MeV. Circularly polarized photons and longitudinally polarized deuterons in solid hydrogen deuteride (HD) have been used with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at Jefferson Lab. The exclusive final state has been extracted using three very different analyses that show excellent agreement, and these have been used to deduce the E polarization observable for an effective neutron target. These results have been incorporated into new partial wave analyses and have led to significant revisions for several γnN* resonance photocouplings

    Measurement of the neutron F2 structure function via spectator tagging with CLAS

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    We report on the first measurement of the F2 structure function of the neutron from semi-inclusive scattering of electrons from deuterium, with low-momentum protons detected in the backward hemisphere. Restricting the momentum of the spectator protons to < 100 MeV and their angles to < 100 degrees relative to the momentum transfer allows an interpretation of the process in terms of scattering from nearly on-shell neutrons. The F2n data collected cover the nucleon resonance and deep-inelastic regions over a wide range of Bjorken x for 0.65 < Q2 < 4.52 GeV2, with uncertainties from nuclear corrections estimated to be less than a few percent. These measurements provide the first determination of the neutron to proton structure function ratio F2n/F2p at 0.2 < x < 0.8 with little uncertainty due to nuclear effects.Comment: 6 pages, 3 page

    Deep exclusive π+\pi^+ electroproduction off the proton at CLAS

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    The exclusive electroproduction of π+\pi^+ above the resonance region was studied using the CEBAF\rm{CEBAF} Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS\rm{CLAS}) at Jefferson Laboratory by scattering a 6 GeV continuous electron beam off a hydrogen target. The large acceptance and good resolution of CLAS\rm{CLAS}, together with the high luminosity, allowed us to measure the cross section for the γpnπ+\gamma^* p \to n \pi^+ process in 140 (Q2Q^2, xBx_B, tt) bins: 0.16<xB<0.580.16<x_B<0.58, 1.6 GeV2<^2<Q2Q^2<4.5<4.5 GeV2^2 and 0.1 GeV2<^2<t-t<5.3<5.3 GeV2^2. For most bins, the statistical accuracy is on the order of a few percent. Differential cross sections are compared to two theoretical models, based either on hadronic (Regge phenomenology) or on partonic (handbag diagram) degrees of freedom. Both can describe the gross features of the data reasonably well, but differ strongly in their ingredients. If the handbag approach can be validated in this kinematical region, our data contain the interesting potential to experimentally access transversity Generalized Parton Distributions.Comment: 18pages, 21figures,2table

    Precise Measurements of Beam Spin Asymmetries in Semi-Inclusive π0\pi^0 production

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    We present studies of single-spin asymmetries for neutral pion electroproduction in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering of 5.776 GeV polarized electrons from an unpolarized hydrogen target, using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. A substantial sinϕh\sin \phi_h amplitude has been measured in the distribution of the cross section asymmetry as a function of the azimuthal angle ϕh\phi_h of the produced neutral pion. The dependence of this amplitude on Bjorken xx and on the pion transverse momentum is extracted with significantly higher precision than previous data and is compared to model calculations.Comment: to be submitted PL

    Differential cross section and recoil polarization measurements for the gamma p to K+ Lambda reaction using CLAS at Jefferson Lab

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    We present measurements of the differential cross section and Lambda recoil polarization for the gamma p to K+ Lambda reaction made using the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. These measurements cover the center-of-mass energy range from 1.62 to 2.84 GeV and a wide range of center-of-mass K+ production angles. Independent analyses were performed using the K+ p pi- and K+ p (missing pi -) final-state topologies; results from these analyses were found to exhibit good agreement. These differential cross section measurements show excellent agreement with previous CLAS and LEPS results and offer increased precision and a 300 MeV increase in energy coverage. The recoil polarization data agree well with previous results and offer a large increase in precision and a 500 MeV extension in energy range. The increased center-of-mass energy range that these data represent will allow for independent study of non-resonant K+ Lambda photoproduction mechanisms at all production angles.Comment: 22 pages, 16 figure

    Measurement of the Nucleon Structure Function F2 in the Nuclear Medium and Evaluation of its Moments

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    We report on the measurement of inclusive electron scattering off a carbon target performed with CLAS at Jefferson Laboratory. A combination of three different beam energies 1.161, 2.261 and 4.461 GeV allowed us to reach an invariant mass of the final-state hadronic system W~2.4 GeV with four-momentum transfers Q2 ranging from 0.2 to 5 GeV2. These data, together with previous measurements of the inclusive electron scattering off proton and deuteron, which cover a similar continuous two-dimensional region of Q2 and Bjorken variable x, permit the study of nuclear modifications of the nucleon structure. By using these, as well as other world data, we evaluated the F2 structure function and its moments. Using an OPE-based twist expansion, we studied the Q2-evolution of the moments, obtaining a separation of the leading-twist and the total higher-twist terms. The carbon-to-deuteron ratio of the leading-twist contributions to the F2 moments exhibits the well known EMC effect, compatible with that discovered previously in x-space. The total higher-twist term in the carbon nucleus appears, although with large systematic uncertainites, to be smaller with respect to the deuteron case for n<7, suggesting partial parton deconfinement in nuclear matter. We speculate that the spatial extension of the nucleon is changed when it is immersed in the nuclear medium.Comment: 37 pages, 15 figure

    Light Vector Mesons in the Nuclear Medium

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    The light vector mesons (ρ\rho, ω\omega, and ϕ\phi) were produced in deuterium, carbon, titanium, and iron targets in a search for possible in-medium modifications to the properties of the ρ\rho meson at normal nuclear densities and zero temperature. The vector mesons were detected with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) via their decays to e+ee^{+}e^{-}. The rare leptonic decay was chosen to reduce final-state interactions. A combinatorial background was subtracted from the invariant mass spectra using a well-established event-mixing technique. The ρ\rho meson mass spectrum was extracted after the ω\omega and ϕ\phi signals were removed in a nearly model-independent way. Comparisons were made between the ρ\rho mass spectra from the heavy targets (A>2A > 2) with the mass spectrum extracted from the deuterium target. With respect to the ρ\rho-meson mass, we obtain a small shift compatible with zero. Also, we measure widths consistent with standard nuclear many-body effects such as collisional broadening and Fermi motion.Comment: 15 pages, 18 figures, 3 table
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