Photoproduction off the nucleon revisited: Evidence for a narrow N(1688) resonance?

Revised analysis of $\Sigma$ beam asymmetry for the $\eta$ photoproduction on the free proton reveals a structure at $W\sim 1.69$ GeV. Fit of the experimental data based on the E429 solution of the SAID partial wave analysis suggests a narrow ($\Gamma \leq 25$ MeV) resonance. Possible candidates are $P_{11}, P_{13}$, or $D_{13}$ resonances. The result is considered in conjunction with the recent evidence for a bump-like structure at $W\sim 1.67 - 1.68$ GeV in the quasi-free $\eta$ photoproduction on the neutron.Comment: Contribution to the Workshop on the Physics of the Excited Nucleons NSTAR2007, Bonn, Germany, Sept. 5 - 8 2007. To be published in Eur.Phys.J.

Evidence for Narrow N*(1685) Resonance in Quasifree Compton Scattering on the Neutron

The first study of quasi-free Compton scattering on the neutron in the energy range of $E_{\gamma}=0.75 - 1.5$ GeV is presented. The data reveals a narrow peak at $W\sim 1.685$ GeV. This result, being considered in conjunction with the recent evidence for a narrow structure at $W\sim 1.68$GeV in the $\eta$ photoproduction on the neutron, suggests the existence of a new nucleon resonance with unusual properties: the mass $M\sim 1.685$GeV, the narrow width $\Gamma \leq 30$MeV, and the much stronger photoexcitation on the neutron than on the proton.Comment: Replaced with the version published in Phys. Rev.