Inclusive and Exclusive Scatterings from Tensor Polarized Deuteron

The possibility of using a tensor polarized deuteron target in electroproduction reactions creates new opportunities for studying different phenomena related to the short-range hadronic and nuclear physics. The use of tensor polarized deuteron allows to isolate smaller than average inter-nucleon distances for the bound two-nucleon system. In this report we consider several of high $Q^2$ reactions which are particularly sensitive to the short-range two-nucleon configurations in the deuteron. The one is the relativistic dynamics of electron-bound-nucleon scattering which can be studied in both inclusive and exclusive reactions, other is the strong final state interaction in close proximity of two nucleons that can be used as a sensitive probe for color-transparency phenomena.Comment: 8 pages and 6 figures, proceedings of the Tensor Polarized Solid Target Workshop March 10-12, 2014 (Jefferson Lab, Newport News, USA

QCD and QED dynamics of the EMC effect

Applying exact QCD sum rules for the baryon charge and energy-momentum we demonstrate that if nucleons are the only degrees of freedom of nuclear wave function, the structure function of a nucleus would be the additive sum of the nucleon distributions at the same Bjorken x = AQ^2/2(p_Aq)< 0.5 up to very small Fermi motion corrections if x>0.05. Thus the difference of the EMC ratio from one reveals the presence of non-nucleonic degrees of freedom in nuclei. Using exact QCD sum rules we show that the ratio R_A(x_p,Q^2) used in experimental studies, where x_p = Q^2/2q_0 m_p deviates from one even if a nucleus consists of nucleons with small momenta only. Use of the Bjorken x leads to additional decrease of R_A(x,Q^2) as compared to the x_p plots. Coherent contribution of equivalent photons into photon component of parton wave function of a nucleus unambiguously follows from Lorentz transformation of the rest frame nucleus Coulomb field. For A~200 photons carry ~0.0065 fraction of the light momentum of nucleus almost compensates the difference between data analysis in terms of Bjorken x and x_p. Different role of higher twist effects for Q^2 probed at electron and muon beams is emphasized. Direct observations of large and predominantly nucleonic short-range correlations in nuclei pose a serious challenge for most of the models of the EMC effect for x>0.6. The data are consistent with a scenario in which the hadronic EMC effect reflects fluctuations of inter nucleon interaction due to fluctuations of color distribution in the interacting nucleons. The dynamic realization of this scenario is the model in which the 3q (3qg) configurations with x > 0.5 parton have a weaker interaction with nearby nucleons, leading to suppression of such configurations giving a right magnitude of the EMC effect. The directions for the future studies and challenging questions are outlined.Comment: The sign in the relation of x_Bj and x_p is corrected and the following discussion is adjusted accordingly. Discussion of the higher twist effects is adde

Towards observation of three-nucleon short-range correlations in high Q^2 A(e, e')X reactions

We discuss the kinematical and dynamical conditions necessary for probing highly elusive three-nucleon short range correlations~(3N-SRCs) in nuclei through inclusive electron scattering. The kinematic requirements that should be satisfied in order to isolate 3N-SRCs in inclusive processes are derived. We demonstrate that the sequence of two short-range NN interactions represents the main mechanism. Within this mechanism we predict a quadratic dependence of the inclusive cross section ratios of nuclei to $^3$He in the 3N-SRC region to the same ratio measured in 2N-SRC domain. The first analysis of the available data satisfying the necessary 3N-SRC kinematical conditions is presented. This analysis provides tantalizing signatures of scaling associated with the onset of 3N-SRCs. The same data are also consistent with the prediction of the quadratic relation between the ratios measured in the 3N and 2N-SRC regions for nuclei ranging $4 \le A \le 197$. This agreement made it possible to extract $a_3(A)$, the probability of 3N-SRCs relative to the $^3$He nucleus. For $a_3(A)$ we obtain noticeably larger magnitudes than for the analogous parameter, $a_2(A)$ for 2N-SRCs.Comment: 31 pages and 17 figure

Hard Rescattering in QCD and High Energy Two-Body Photodisintegration of the Deuteron

Photon absorption by a quark in one nucleon followed by its high momentum transfer interaction with a quark in the other may produce two nucleons with high relative momentum. We sum the relevant quark rescattering diagrams, to show that the scattering amplitude depends on a convolution between the large angle $pn$ scattering amplitude, the hard photon-quark interaction vertex and the low-momentum deuteron wave function. The computed cross sections are in reasonable agreement with the data.Comment: Four pages Latex, uses espcrc1.sty. Presented at 15th International Conference on Particle and Nuclei (PANIC 99), Uppsala, Sweden, 10-16 Jun 199

QCD Rescattering and High Energy Two-Body Photodisintegration of the Deuteron

Photon absorption by a quark in one nucleon followed by its high momentum transfer interaction with a quark in the other may produce two final-state nucleons with high relative momentum. We sum the relevant quark rescattering diagrams, to show that the scattering amplitude depends on a convolution between the large angle $pn$ scattering amplitude, the hard photon-quark interaction vertex and the low-momentum deuteron wave function. The computed absolute values of the cross section are in reasonable agreement with the data.Comment: 4 pages, revised version to be published in Phys. Rev. Let

Probing superfast quarks in nuclei through dijet production at the LHC

We investigate dijet production from proton-nucleus collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) as a means for observing superfast quarks in nuclei with Bjorken $x>1$. Kinematically, superfast quarks can be identified through directly measurable jet kinematics. Dynamically, their description requires understanding several elusive properties of nuclear QCD, such as nuclear forces at very short distances, as well as medium modification of parton distributions in nuclei. In the present work, we develop a model for nuclear parton distributions at large $x$ in which the nuclear dynamics at short distance scales are described by two- and three-nucleon short range correlations (SRCs). Nuclear modifications are accounted for using the color screening model, and an improved description of the EMC effect is reached by using a structure function parametrization that includes higher-twist contributions. We apply QCD evolution at the leading order to obtain nuclear parton distributions in the kinematic regime of the LHC, and based on the obtained distributions calculate the cross section for dijet production. We find not only that superfast quarks can be observed at the LHC, but also that they provide sensitivity to the practically unexplored three-nucleon SRCs in nuclei. Additionally, the LHC can extend our knowledge of the EMC effect to large $Q^2$ where higher-twist effects are negligible.Comment: 44 pages, 17 figures, final version to be published in EJP

Diffractive Heavy Quarkonium Photo- and Electroproduction in QCD

Hard diffractive photo- and electroproduction of heavy vector mesons ($J/\psi$ and $\Upsilon$) is evaluated within the leading $\alpha_s\ln{Q^2 \over\Lambda_{QCD}^2}$ approximation of QCD. In difference from our earlier work on that subject, also the production of transversely polarized vector mesons is calculated. Special emphasis is placed on the role of the vector meson's $q\bar q$ light-cone wave function. In that context, conventional non-relativistic quarkonium models and a light-front QCD bound state calculation are critically examined and confronted with QCD expectations. Our numerical analysis finds a significant high momentum tail in the latter wave functions and a deviation from the expected asymptotic behavior of $\phi_V(z,b=0)\propto z(1-z)$. We then design an interpolation to match the quarkonium models at large inter-quark separations with QCD expectations at small distances. We use these results to compare our predictions for the forward differential cross section of $J/\psi$ photo- and electroproduction with recent experimental results from HERA. In addition, our earlier discussion of $\rho^o$ electroproduction is updated in light of recent experimental and theoretical enhancements.Comment: 44 pages, LaTeX, 14 figures included using epsf.tex; Final version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Hard exclusive electroproduction of pseudoscalar mesons and QCD axial anomaly

The hard exclusive electroproduction of $\pi^0,\eta,\eta$ mesons by the longitudinal photons is considered. We calculate the ratios of the $pi^0 : eta : eta$ yields for the electroproduction processes off nucleons and deuterons based on the QCD factorization theorem, the low energy QCD chiral dynamics, and the QCD anomaly. Thus investigation of these ratios gives a new way to probe the physics of the spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking