arXiv subjects

D. G. Middleton

Publications and source records attributed to D. G. Middleton.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Measurement of the $p(e,e'π^+)n$ reaction close to threshold and at low $Q^2$

The cross section of the $p(e,e'π^+)n$ reaction has been measured for five kinematic settings at an invariant mass of $W = 1094$ MeV and for a four-momentum transfer of $Q^2 = 0.078$ (GeV/$c$)$^2$. The measurement has been performed at MAMI using a new short-orbit spectrometer (SOS) of the A1 collaboration, intended for detection of low-energy pions. The transverse and longitudinal cross section terms were separated using the Rosenbluth method and the transverse-longitudinal interference term has been determined from the left-right asymmetry. The experimental cross section terms are compared with the calculations of three models: DMT2001, MAID2007 and $χ$MAID. The results show that we do not yet understand the dynamics of the fundamental pion.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2017

Determination of the scalar polarizabilities of the proton using beam asymmetry $Σ_{3}$ in Compton scattering

The scalar dipole polarizabilities, $α_{E1}$ and $β_{M1}$, are fundamental properties related to the internal dynamics of the nucleon. The currently accepted values of the proton polarizabilities were determined by fitting to unpolarized proton Compton scattering cross section data. The measurement of the beam asymmetry $Σ_{3}$ in a certain kinematical range provides an alternative approach to the extraction of the scalar polarizabilities. At the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) the beam asymmetry was measured for Compton scattering below pion photoproduction threshold for the first time. The results are compared with model calculations and the influence of the experimental data on the extraction of the scalar polarizabilities is determined.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2017

Study of $η$ and $η'$ photoproduction at MAMI

The reactions $γp\to ηp$ and $γp\to η' p$ have been measured from their thresholds up to the center-of-mass energy $W=1.96$GeV with the tagged-photon facilities at the Mainz Microtron, MAMI. Differential cross sections were obtained with unprecedented accuracy, providing fine energy binning and full production-angle coverage. A strong cusp is observed in the total cross section and excitation functions for $η$ photoproduction at the energies in vicinity of the $η'$ threshold, $W=1896$MeV ($E_γ=1447$MeV). This behavior is explained in a revised $η$MAID isobar model by a significant branching of the $N(1895)1/2^-$ nucleon resonance to both, $ηp$ and $η' p$, confirming the existence and constraining the properties of this poorly known state.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2016

First measurement of proton's charge form factor at very low $Q^2$ with initial state radiation

We report on a new experimental method based on initial-state radiation (ISR) in e-p scattering, in which the radiative tail of the elastic e-p peak contains information on the proton charge form factor ($G_E^p$) at extremely small $Q^2$. The ISR technique was validated in a dedicated experiment using the spectrometers of the A1-Collaboration at the Mainz Microtron (MAMI). This provided first measurements of $G_E^p$ for $0.001\leq Q^2\leq 0.004 (GeV/c)^2$.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2016

Photoproduction ofeta-pi pairs off nucleons and deuterons

Quasi-free photoproduction of $πη$-pairs has been investigated from threshold up to incident photon energies of 1.4 GeV, respectively up to photon-nucleon invariant masses up to 1.9 GeV. Total cross sections, angular distributions, invariant-mass distributions of the $πη$ and meson-nucleon pairs, and beam-helicity asymmetries have been measured for the reactions $γp\rightarrow pπ^0η$, $γn\rightarrow nπ^0η$, $γp\rightarrow nπ^+η$, and $γn\rightarrow pπ^-η$ from nucleons bound inside the deuteron. For the $γp$ initial state data for free protons have also been analyzed. Finally, the total cross sections for quasi-free production of $π^0η$ pairs from nucleons bound in $^3$He nuclei have been investigated in view of final state interaction (FSI) effects. The experiments were performed at the tagged photon beam facility of the Mainz MAMI accelerator using an almost $4π$ covering electromagnetic calorimeter composed of the Crystal Ball and TAPS detectors. The shapes of all differential cross section data and the asymmetries are very similar for protons and neutrons and agree with the conjecture that the reactions are dominated by the sequential $Δ^{\star}3/2^-\rightarrowηΔ(1232)\rightarrowπηN$ decay chain, mainly with $Δ(1700)3/2^-$ and $Δ(1940)3/2^-$. The ratios of the magnitude of the total cross sections also agree with this assumption. However, the absolute magnitudes of the cross sections are reduced by FSI effects with respect to free proton data.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2016

Photon asymmetry measurements of $\overrightarrowγ \mathrm{p} \rightarrow π^{0} \mathrm{p}$ for E$_γ$=320$-$650 MeV

High statistics measurements of the photon asymmetry $\mathrmΣ$ for the $\overrightarrowγ$p$\rightarrowπ^{0}$p reaction have been made in the center of mass energy range W=1214-1450 MeV. The data were measured with the MAMI A2 real photon beam and Crystal Ball/TAPS detector systems in Mainz, Germany. The results significantly improve the existing world data and are shown to be in good agreement with previous measurements, and with the MAID, SAID, and Bonn-Gatchina predictions. We have also combined the photon asymmetry results with recent cross-section measurements from Mainz to calculate the profile functions, $\check{\mathrmΣ}$ (= $σ_{0}\mathrmΣ$), and perform a moment analysis. Comparison with calculations from the Bonn-Gatchina model shows that the precision of the data is good enough to further constrain the higher partial waves, and there is an indication of interference between the very small $F$-waves and the $N(1520) 3/2^{-}$ and $N(1535) 1/2^{-}$ resonances.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2016

Polarization-transfer measurement to a large-virtuality bound proton in the deuteron

Possible differences between free and bound protons may be observed in the ratio of polarization-transfer components, $P'_x/P'_z$. We report the measurement of $P'_x/P'_z$, in the $^2\textrm{H}(\vec{e},e^{\prime}\vec{p})n$ reaction at low and high missing momenta. Observed increasing deviation of $P'_x/P'_z$ from that of a free proton as a function of the virtuality, similar to that observed in \hefour, indicates that the effect in nuclei is due to the virtuality of the knock-out proton and not due to the average nuclear density. The measured differences from calculations assuming free-proton form factors ($\sim10\%$), may indicate in-medium modifications.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2015

Photoproduction of $π^0$-pairs off protons and off neutrons

Total cross sections, angular distributions, and invariant-mass distributions have been measured for the photoproduction of $π^0π^0$ pairs off free protons and off nucleons bound in the deuteron. The experiments were performed at the MAMI accelerator facility in Mainz using the Glasgow photon tagging spectrometer and the Crystal Ball/TAPS detector. The accelerator delivered electron beams of 1508 and 1557~MeV, which produced bremsstrahlung in thin radiator foils. The tagged photon beam covered energies up to 1400~MeV. The data from the free proton target are in good agreement with previous measurements and were only used to test the analysis procedures. The results for differential cross sections (angular distributions and invariant-mass distributions) for free and quasi-free protons are almost identical in shape, but differ in absolute magnitude up to 15\%. Thus, moderate final-state interaction effects are present. The data for quasi-free neutrons are similar to the proton data in the second resonance region (final state invariant masses up to $\approx$1550~MeV), where both reactions are dominated by the $N(1520)3/2^-\rightarrow Δ(1232)3/2^+π$ decay. At higher energies, angular and invariant-mass distributions are different. A simple analysis of the shapes of the invariant-mass distributions in the third resonance region is consistent with strong contributions of an $N^{\star}\rightarrow Nσ$ decay for the proton, while the reaction is dominated by a sequential decay via a $Δπ$ intermediate state for the neutron. The data are compared to predictions from the Two-Pion-MAID model and the Bonn-Gatchina coupled channel analysis.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2015

Measurement of pi^0 photoproduction on the proton at MAMI C

Differential cross sections for the gamma p -> pi^0 p reaction have been measured with the A2 tagged-photon facilities at the Mainz Microtron, MAMI C, up to the center-of-mass energy W=1.9 GeV. The new results, obtained with a fine energy and angular binning, increase the existing quantity of pi^0 photoproduction data by ~47%. Owing to the unprecedented statistical accuracy and the full angular coverage, the results are sensitive to high partial-wave amplitudes. This is demonstrated by the decomposition of the differential cross sections in terms of Legendre polynomials and by further comparison to model predictions. A new solution of the SAID partial-wave analysis obtained after adding the new data into the fit is presented.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2015

The isospin structure of photoproduction of pi-eta pairs from the nucleon in the threshold region

Photoproduction of $πη$-pairs from nucleons has been investigated from threshold up to incident photon energies of $\approx$~1.4~GeV. The quasi-free reactions $γp\rightarrow pπ^0η$, $γn\rightarrow nπ^0η$, $γp\rightarrow nπ^+η$, and $γn\rightarrow pπ^-η$ were for the first time measured from nucleons bound in the deuteron. The corresponding reactions from a free-proton target were also studied to investigate final-state interaction effects (for neutral pions the free-proton results could be compared to previous measurements; the $γp\rightarrow nπ^+η$ reaction was measured for the first time). For the $π^0η$ final state coherent production via the $γd\rightarrow dπ^0η$ reaction was also investigated. The experiments were performed at the tagged photon beam of the Mainz MAMI accelerator using an almost $4π$ coverage electromagnetic calorimeter composed of the Crystal Ball and TAPS detectors. The total cross sections for the four different final states obey the relation $σ(pπ^0η)$ $\approx$ $σ(nπ^0η)$ $\approx$ $2σ(pπ^-η)$ $\approx$ $2σ(nπ^+η)$ as expected for a dominant contribution from a $Δ^{\star}\rightarrowηΔ(1232)\rightarrowπηN$ reaction chain, which is also supported by the shapes of the invariant-mass distributions of nucleon-meson and $π$-$η$ pairs. The experimental results are compared to the predictions from an isobar reaction model.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2015

Photoproduction of the $ω$ meson off the proton near threshold

An experimental study of $ω$ photoproduction on the proton was conducted by using the Crystal Ball and TAPS multiphoton spectrometers together with the photon tagging facility at the Mainz Microtron MAMI. The $γp\toωp$ differential cross sections are measured from threshold to the incident-photon energy $E_γ=1.40$ GeV ($W=1.87$ GeV for the center-of-mass energy) with 15-MeV binning in $E_γ$ and full production-angle coverage. The quality of the present data near threshold gives access to a variety of interesting physics aspects. As an example, an estimation of the $ωN$ scattering length $α_{ωp}$ is provided.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2015

Measurements of Double-Polarized Compton Scattering Asymmetries and Extraction of the Proton Spin Polarizabilities

The spin polarizabilities of the nucleon describe how the spin of the nucleon responds to an incident polarized photon. The most model-independent way to measure the nucleon spin polarizabilities is through polarized Compton scattering. Double-polarized Compton scattering asymmetries on the proton were measured in the $Δ(1232)$ region using circularly polarized incident photons and a transversely polarized proton target at the Mainz Microtron. Fits to asymmetry data were performed using a dispersion model calculation and a baryon chiral perturbation theory calculation, and a separation of all four proton spin polarizabilities in the multipole basis was achieved. The analysis based on a dispersion model calculation yields $γ_{E1E1} = -3.5 \pm 1.2$, $γ_{M1M1}= 3.16 \pm 0.85$, $γ_{E1M2} = -0.7 \pm 1.2$, and $γ_{M1E2} = 1.99 \pm 0.29$, in units of $10^{-4}$ fm$^4$.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2015

A Helium Gas-Scintillator Active Target for Photoreaction Measurements

A multi-cell He gas-scintillator active target, designed for the measurement of photoreaction cross sections, is described. The target has four main chambers, giving an overall thickness of 0.103 $\mathrm{g/cm^{2}}$ at an operating pressure of 2 MPa. Scintillations are read out by photomultiplier tubes and the addition of small amounts of $\mathrm{N}_{2}$ to the He, to shift the scintillation emission from UV to visible, is discussed. First results of measurements at the MAX IV Laboratory tagged-photon facility show that the target has good timing resolution and can cope well with a high-flux photon beam. The determination of reaction cross sections from target yields relies on a Monte Carlo simulation, which considers scintillation light transport, photodisintegration processes in $^{4}\mathrm{He}$, background photon interactions in target windows and interactions of the reaction-product particles in the gas and target container. The predictions of this simulation are compared to the measured target response.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2015

A new measurement of the neutron detection efficiency for the NaI Crystal Ball detector

We report on a measurement of the neutron detection efficiency in NaI crystals in the Crystal Ball detector obtained from a study of single p0 photoproduction on deuterium using the tagged photon beam at the Mainz Microtron. The results were obtained up to a neutron energy of 400 MeV. They are compared to previous measurements made more than 15 years ago at the pion beam at the BNL AGS.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2014

New Measurement of Compton Scattering from the Deuteron and an Improved Extraction of the Neutron Electromagnetic Polarizabilities

The electromagnetic polarizabilities of the nucleon are fundamental properties that describe its response to external electric and magnetic fields. They can be extracted from Compton-scattering data --- and have been, with good accuracy, in the case of the proton. In contradistinction, information for the neutron requires the use of Compton scattering from nuclear targets. Here we report a new measurement of elastic photon scattering from deuterium using quasimonoenergetic tagged photons at the MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden. These first new data in more than a decade effectively double the world dataset. Their energy range overlaps with previous experiments and extends it by 20 MeV to higher energies. An analysis using Chiral Effective Field Theory with dynamical Δ(1232) degrees of freedom shows the data are consistent with and within the world dataset. After demonstrating that the fit is consistent with the Baldin sum rule, extracting values for the isoscalar nucleon polarizabilities and combining them with a recent result for the proton, we obtain the neutron polarizabilities as α_n = [11.55 +/- 1.25(stat) +/- 0.2(BSR) +/- 0.8(th)] X 10^{-4} fm^3 and β_n = [3.65 -/+ 1.25(stat) +/- 0.2(BSR) -/+ 0.8(th)] X 10^{-4} fm3, with χ^2 = 45.2 for 44 degrees of freedom.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2014

The electric and magnetic form factors of the proton

The paper describes a precise measurement of electron scattering off the proton at momentum transfers of $0.003 \lesssim Q^2 \lesssim 1$\ GeV$^2$. The average point-to-point error of the cross sections in this experiment is $\sim$ 0.37%. These data are used for a coherent new analysis together with all world data of unpolarized and polarized electron scattering from the very smallest to the highest momentum transfers so far measured. The extracted electric and magnetic form factors provide new insight into their exact shape, deviating from the classical dipole form, and of structure on top of this gross shape. The data reaching very low $Q^2$ values are used for a new determination of the electric and magnetic radii. An empirical determination of the Two-Photon-Exchange (TPE) correction is presented. The implications of this correction on the radii and the question of a directly visible signal of the pion cloud are addressed.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2014

Quasifree photoproduction of $η$ mesons off protons and neutrons

Differential and total cross sections for the quasifree reactions $γp\rightarrowηp$ and $γn\rightarrowηn$ have been determined at the MAMI-C electron accelerator using a liquid deuterium target. Photons were produced via bremsstrahlung from the 1.5 GeV incident electron beam and energy-tagged with the Glasgow photon tagger. Decay photons of the neutral decay modes $η\rightarrow 2γ$ and $η\rightarrow 3π^0 \rightarrow 6γ$ and coincident recoil nucleons were detected in a combined setup of the Crystal Ball and the TAPS calorimeters. The $η$-production cross sections were measured in coincidence with recoil protons, recoil neutrons, and in an inclusive mode without a condition on recoil nucleons, which allowed a check of the internal consistency of the data. The effects from nuclear Fermi motion were removed by a kinematic reconstruction of the final-state invariant mass and possible nuclear effects on the quasifree cross section were investigated by a comparison of free and quasifree proton data. The results, which represent a significant improvement in statistical quality compared to previous measurements, agree with the known neutron-to-proton cross-section ratio in the peak of the $S_{11}(1535)$ resonance and confirm a peak in the neutron cross section, which is absent for the proton, at a center-of-mass energy $W = (1670\pm 5)$ MeV with an intrinsic width of $Γ\approx 30$ MeV.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2014

$K^+Λ$ and $K^+Σ^0$ photoproduction with fine center-of-mass energy resolution

Measurements of $γp \rightarrow K^{+} Λ$ and $γp \rightarrow K^{+} Σ^0$ cross-sections have been obtained with the photon tagging facility and the Crystal Ball calorimeter at MAMI-C. The measurement uses a novel $K^+$ meson identification technique in which the weak decay products are characterized using the energy and timing characteristics of the energy deposit in the calorimeter, a method that has the potential to be applied at many other facilities. The fine center-of-mass energy ($W$) resolution and statistical accuracy of the new data results in a significant impact on partial wave analyses aiming to better establish the excitation spectrum of the nucleon. The new analyses disfavor a strong role for quark-diquark dynamics in the nucleon.

nucl-ex↗