High precision determination of the Q2Q^2-evolution of the Bjorken Sum

We present a significantly improved determination of the Bjorken Sum for 0.6$\leq Q^{2}\leq$4.8 GeV$^{2}$ using precise new $g_{1}^{p}$ and $g_{1}^{d}$ data taken with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. A higher-twist analysis of the $Q^{2}$-dependence of the Bjorken Sum yields the twist-4 coefficient $f_{2}^{p-n}=-0.064 \pm0.009\pm_{0.036}^{0.032}$. This leads to the color polarizabilities $\chi_{E}^{p-n}=-0.032\pm0.024$ and $\chi_{B}^{p-n}=0.032\pm0.013$. The strong force coupling is determined to be \alpha_{s}^{\overline{\mbox{ MS}}}(M_{Z}^{2})=0.1124\pm0.0061, which has an uncertainty a factor of 1.5 smaller than earlier estimates using polarized DIS data. This improvement makes the comparison between $\alpha_{s}$ extracted from polarized DIS and other techniques a valuable test of QCD.Comment: Published in Phys. Rev. D. V1: 8 pages, 3 figures. V2: Updated references; Included threshold matching in \alpha_s evolution. Corrected a typo on the uncertainty for \Lambda_QCD. V3: Published versio

Beam Asymmetry Σ for π+ and π0 Photoproduction on the Proton for Photon Energies From 1.102 to 1.862 GeV

Beam asymmetries for the reactions ˠp -\u3e pπ0 and ˠp -\u3e nπ+have been measured with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) and a tagged, linearly polarized photon beam with energies from 1.102-1.862 GeV. A Fourier moment technique for extracting beam asymmetries from experimental data is described. The results reported here possess greater precision and finer energy resolution than previous measurements. Our data for both pion reactions appear to favor the SAID and Bonn-Gatchina scattering analyses over the older Mainz MAID predictions. After incorporating the present set of beam asymmetries into the world database, exploratory fits made with the SAID analysis indicate that the largest changes from previous fits are for properties of the Δ(1700)3/2- and Δ(1905) 5/2+ states

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

Precise determination of the deuteron spin structure at low to moderate Q(2) with CLAS and extraction of the neutron contribution

We present the final results for the deuteron spin structure functions obtained from the full data set collected in 2000-2001 with Jefferson Lab\u27s continuous electron beam accelerator facility (CEBAF) using the CEBAF large acceptance spectrometer (CLAS). Polarized electrons with energies of 1.6, 2.5, 4.2, and 5.8 GeV were scattered from deuteron ((ND3)-N-15) targets, dynamically polarized along the beam direction, and detected with CLAS. From the measured double-spin asymmetry, the virtual photon absorption asymmetry A(1)(d) and the polarized structure function g(1)(d) were extracted over a wide kinematic range (0.05 GeV2 \u3c Q(2) \u3c 5 GeV2 and 0.9 GeV \u3c W \u3c 3 GeV). We use an unfolding procedure and a parametrization of the corresponding proton results to extract from these data the polarized structure functions A(1)(n) and g(1)(n) of the (bound) neutron, which are so far unknown in the resonance region, W \u3c 2 GeV. We compare our final results, including several moments of the deuteron and neutron spin structure functions, with various theoretical models and expectations, as well as parametrizations of the world data. The unprecedented precision and dense kinematic coverage of these data can aid in future extractions of polarized parton distributions, tests of perturbative QCD predictions for the quark polarization at large x, a better understanding of quark-hadron duality, and more precise values for higher-twist matrix elements in the framework of the operator product expansion

Longitudinal Target-Spin Asymmetries for Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering

A measurement of the electroproduction of photons off protons in the deeply inelastic regime was performed at Jefferson Lab using a nearly 6 GeV electron beam, a longitudinally polarized proton target, and the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer. Target-spin asymmetries for e p → e\u27p\u27ɣ events, which arise from the interference of the deeply virtual Compton scattering and the Bethe-Heitler processes, were extracted over the widest kinematics in Q2, xB, t, and ɸ, for 166 four-dimensional bins. In the framework of generalized parton distributions, at leading twist the t dependence of these asymmetries provides insight into the spatial distribution of the axial charge of the proton, which appears to be concentrated in its center. These results also bring important and necessary constraints for the existing parametrizations of chiral-even generalized parton distributions

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

Measurements of ep → e\u27π+n at 1.6 \u3c W \u3c2.0 GeV and extraction of nucleon resonance electrocouplings at CLAS

Differential cross sections of the exclusive process ep -\u3e e \u27π+n were measured with good precision in the range of the photon virtuality Q2 = 1.8-4.5 GeV2 and the invariant mass range of the π+n final state W = 1.6-2.0 GeV using the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility Large Acceptance Spectrometer. Data were collected with nearly complete coverage in the azimuthal and polar angles of the n π+center-of-mass system. More than 37 000 cross-section points were measured. The contributions of the isospin I = ½ resonances N(1675) 5/2-, N(1680) 5/2+, and N(1710) 1/2+ were extracted at different values of Q2 using a single-channel, energy-dependent resonance amplitude analysis. Two different approaches, the unitary isobar model and the fixed-t dispersion relations, were employed in the analysis. We observe significant strength of the N(1675)5/2- in the A(1/2) amplitude, which is in strong disagreement with quark models that predict both transverse amplitudes to be strongly suppressed. For the N(1680)5/2+ we observe a slow changeover from the dominance of the A3/2 amplitude at the real photon point (Q2 = 0) to a Q2 where A1/2 begins to dominate. The scalar amplitude S 1/2 drops rapidly with Q2consistent with quark model prediction. For the N(1710)½+ resonance our analysis shows significant strength for the A½ amplitude at Q2 \u3c 2.5 GeV2

Precision measurements of g(1) of the proton and of the deuteron with 6 GeV electrons

The inclusive polarized structure functions of the proton and deuteron, g(1)(p) and g(1)(d) , were measured with high statistical precision using polarized 6 GeV electrons incident on a polarized ammonia target in Hall B at Jefferson Laboratory. Electrons scattered at laboratory angles between 18 and 45 degrees were detected using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). For the usual deep inelastic region kinematics, Q(2) \u3e 1 GeV2 and the final-state invariant mass W \u3e 2 GeV, the ratio of polarized to unpolarized structure functions g(1)/F-1 is found to be nearly independent of Q(2) at fixed x. Significant resonant structure is apparent at values of W up to 2.3 GeV. In the framework of perturbative quantum chromodynamics, the high-W results can be used to better constrain the polarization of quarks and gluons in the nucleon, as well as high-twist contributions

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