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Jennifer Rittenhouse West

Publications and source records attributed to Jennifer Rittenhouse West.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Letter of Intent for Alpha Knockout from Nuclei in Hard Exclusive Processes with ALERT

We propose to measure hard exclusive $α$-knockout reactions from the light $α$-conjugate nuclei $^{12}$C, $^{16}$O, and $^{20}$Ne using electron scattering. Three reaction channels will be measured for the first time on the same target set: (i) the quasi-elastic knockout $(e, e' α)$ knockout, which establishes a baseline against $α$-clustering model calculations and tests final-state-interaction (FSI) models; (ii) coherent deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) on a bound $α$, which provides a quark-level probe of the bound system through the beam-spin asymmetry; and (iii) coherent vector-meson production ($ϕ$ and J/{$ψ$}) on a bound $α$, which probes the gluon distribution of the bound cluster through two-gluon exchange. The central observables are ratios of cross sections and beam-spin asymmetries between the bound $α$ in $^{12}$C, $^{16}$O, and $^{20}$ Ne and the free $^4$He ground state. Together these measurements directly address the question of the role of QCD in the structure of light nuclei : do the quark and gluon distributions of an $α$ embedded in a heavier nucleus differ from those of a free 4He, and do those modifications track the increasing $α$-clustering strength along the $α$-conjugate chain? The measurement will use the 12 GeV CEBAF accelerator in Hall B with the CLAS12 spectrometer instrumented with the ALERT low-energy recoil detector and high-pressure gas straw targets. ALERT, which replaced the CLAS12 silicon vertex tracker, was successfully commissioned and operated during Run Group L (RG-L) from April through August 2025. It uniquely provides identification of low-momentum recoiling light ions (p, d, t, $^3$He, and $^4$He) close to the beamline at the high luminosities required by these exclusive channels.

nucl-ex↗
arXiv2026

Hofstadter-Herman Visualization as a Diagnostic Tool for Systematic Effects in Electromagnetic Form Factor Extractions

The internal charge and magnetization distributions of the proton are characterized by electromagnetic form factors GE and GM. They are experimentally extracted via Rosenbluth separation, which measures the elastic scattering of electrons and protons at multiple beam energies and angles at fixed momentum transfer Q2. Conventionally, form factor values are obtained by plotting reduced cross sections against the virtual photon polarization parameter epsilon and then extracting the slope and intercept of the best fit lines. An alternative visualization method, proposed by Hofstadter and Herman in 1960, plots GM2 vs. GE2 curves instead. The best fit values of GE2 and GM2 are immediately visible from the intersection region of the curves and their uncertainty bands. In this work, we apply both conventional and Hofstadter-Herman visualizations to classic 1994 SLAC elastic scattering data. We demonstrate that the Hofstadter-Herman method reveals previously obscured regions of form factor parameter space and highlights subtle experimental discrepancies among data sets. Our results motivate adopting this visualization method as a routine diagnostic cross-check at the Electron-Ion Collider and elsewhere to flag normalization shifts and related adjustments before they enter global fits.

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arXiv2026

Proton-Proton to Antinucleon Cross Sections for Cosmic Ray Applications

We present predictions of inclusive antiproton and antineutron production cross sections in proton-proton collisions relevant to primary and secondary antiproton production in cosmic ray interactions with interstellar matter. Our predictions are based on collinear factorisation in Quantum Chromodynamics and are accurate to next-to-leading order in the perturbative expansion of the strong coupling. We assess the relevance of cross sections measured at collider experiments, such as NA49 at the CERN SPS and ALICE at the LHC, to the kinetic energy ranges accessed by cosmic ray detectors. We characterise the associated uncertainties due to the input parton distribution and fragmentation functions, and to missing higher orders. We critically examine the ~30% excess of antineutron over antiproton production in proton-proton collisions preliminarily reported by the NA49 experiment by combining our predictions with a data-driven model. Our results do not support the NA49 finding, and point to a mild excess of a few percent. We finally show that the NA49 result could only be reconciled with our framework by invoking sizeable differences between antiproton and antineutron production in the poorly constrained region of small transverse momenta of the produced hadron.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2025

Quantum Chromodynamics Resolution of the ATOMKI Anomaly in ${\rm {^4He}}$ Nuclear Transitions

Observations of anomalous angular correlations in electron-positron pairs produced from excited states of $^{4}$He, $^{8}$Be and $^{12}$C nuclei have been suggested as due to the creation and subsequent decay of a new light particle of mass $\sim$17 MeV. In this work, we investigate the possibility that the source of the observed signals is a set of new excitation channels created by the 12-quark hidden-color Fock state within the ${\rm {^4He}}$ nuclear wavefunction dubbed the ``hexadiquark.'' We calculate the invariant $e^+e^-$ mass spectrum for the electromagnetic transition from a new excitation of $^{4}$He, estimating its differential and total decay width. We find that we can fit the shape of the anomalous signal with the QCD Fock state at excitation energy $\rm E^{*} = 17.9 \pm 1$ MeV and a Gaussian form factor for the electromagnetic decay. We address the physical issues with the fit parameters using properties of the hexadiquark state, in particular the three weakly repulsive $\rm 6_C$ interactions of $\rm SU(3)_C$ between diquark pairs. Experimental tests of our model are described in detail. In light of this work, we emphasize the need for independent experimental confirmation or refutation of the ATOMKI results as well as dedicated experiments to search for the proposed new excitations of ${\rm ^4He}$ and other $α$-cluster nuclei.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2023

Proposal to PAC 51: Color Transparency in Maximal Rescattering Kinematics

With the current highest beam energy at Jefferson Lab and traditional methods, we have exhausted our sensitivity for observing the onset of proton color transparency in a nucleus in A(e,e'p) parallel scattering kinematics for up to $Q^{2}$ = 14 GeV$^{2}$ . One of the disadvantages in A(e,e'p) experiments is that even if a point-like color singlet is produced at such $Q^{2}$, its expansion is unconstrained over the full radius of the nuclei, with the potential to significantly reduce the size of the color transparency effect. Therefore, in order to be sensitive to the effects of color transparency, we enhance the sensitivity of the measurement to the production of a point-like color neutral object prior to the onset of wave-function expansion. In this experiment, we propose a color transparency measurement in maximal rescattering ("dirty") kinematics in deuterium where final-state interactions (FSIs) are known to be huge effects, thereby enhancing our sensitivity to a reduction in FSIs indicative of color transparency. The kinematics in exclusive processes in deuterium can be precisely chosen such that the inter-nucleon distances of the struck and spectator nucleon lead to well-controlled FSIs.

nucl-ex↗
arXiv2023

The quantum optics of gravitational waves

By utilizing quantum optics techniques, we examine the characteristics of a quantum gravitational wave (GW) signature at interferometers. In particular, we study the problem by analyzing the equations of motion of a GW interacting with an idealized interferometer. Using this method, we reconstruct the classical GW signal from a representation of the quantum version of an almost classical monochromatic wave (a single-mode coherent state), then we discuss the experimental signatures of some specific, more general quantum states. We calculate the observables that could be used at future interferometers to probe possible quantum states carried by the gravitational waves.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2023

Physical Implications of the Extrapolation and Statistical Bootstrap of the Nucleon Structure Function Ratio $\frac{F_2^n}{F_2^p}$ for Mirror Nuclei $^3$He and $^3$H

A nuclear physics example of statistical bootstrap is used on the MARATHON data nucleon structure function ratio, $\frac{F_2^n}{F_2^p}$, in the quark momentum fraction $x_B\rightarrow0$ and $x_B\rightarrow1$ regions. The extrapolated $F_2$ ratio value as quark momentum fraction $x_B\rightarrow 1$ approaches 0.4 and this value is compared to theoretical predictions. The extrapolated ratio when $x_B\rightarrow 0$ favors the simple model of isospin symmetry with the complete dominance of seaquarks at low momentum fraction. At high-$x_B$, the proton quark distribution function ratio $d/u$ is derived from the $x\rightarrow 1$ ratio $\frac{F_2^n}{F_2^p}\rightarrow 0.4$ and found to be $d/u \rightarrow 1/6$. Our extrapolated values for both the $\frac{F_2^n}{F_2^p}$ ratio and the $d/u$ parton distribution function ratio most closely match perturbative QCD values from quark counting and helicity conservation arguments but still differ by roughly $7\%$. The mismatch to theoretical predictions may be ameliorated if two compatible models act simultaneously in the nucleon wavefunction. One such example is nucleon wavefunctions composed of a linear combination of a quark-diquark state and a 3-valence quark correlated state with coefficients that combine to give the extrapolated $F_2$ ratio of $0.4$.

nucl-th↗
arXiv2022

Searching for an Enhanced Signal of the onset of Color Transparency in Baryons with D(e,e'p)n scattering

Observation of the onset of color transparency in baryons would provide a new means of studying the nuclear strong force and would be the first clear evidence of baryons transforming into a color-neutral point-like size in the nucleus as predicted by quantum chromodynamics. Recent C$(e,e'p)$ results from electron-scattering did not observe the onset of color transparency (CT) in protons up to spacelike four-momentum transfers squared, $Q^2=14.2$ GeV$^2$. The traditional methods of searching for CT in $(e,e'p)$ scattering use heavy targets favoring kinematics with already initially reduced final state interactions (FSIs) such that any CT effect that further reduces FSIs will be small. The reasoning behind this choice is the difficulty in accounting for all FSIs. D$(e,e'p)n$, on the other hand, has well-understood FSI contributions from double scattering with a known dependence on the kinematics and can show an increased sensitivity to hadrons in point-like configurations. Double scattering is the square of the re-scattering amplitude in which the knocked-out nucleon interacts with the spectator nucleon, a process that is suppressed in the presence of point-like configurations and is particularly well-studied for the deuteron. This suppression yields a quadratic sensitivity to CT effects and is strongly dependent on the choice of kinematics. Here, we describe a possible JLab electron-scattering experiment that utilizes these kinematics and explores the potential signal for the onset of CT with enhanced sensitivity as compared to recent experiments.

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arXiv2022

Quantum signatures in nonlinear gravitational waves

The effective quantum field theory description of gravity, despite its non-renormalizability, allows for predictions beyond classical general relativity. As we enter the age of gravitational wave astronomy, an important and timely question is whether measurable quantum predictions that depart from classical gravity, analogous to quantum optics effects which cannot be explained by classical electrodynamics, can be found. In this work, we investigate quantum signatures in gravitational waves using tools from quantum optics. Squeezed-coherent gravitational waves, which can exhibit sub-Poissonian graviton statistics, can enhance or suppress the signal measured by an interferometer, a characteristic effect of quantum squeezing. Moreover, we show that Gaussian gravitational wave quantum states can be reconstructed from measurements over an ensemble of optical fields interacting with a single copy of the gravitational wave, thus opening the possibility of detecting quantum features of gravity beyond classical general relativity.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2022

Diquark Induced Short-Range Nucleon-Nucleon Correlations \& the EMC Effect

Diquark formation across a short-range nucleon-nucleon pair is proposed as the underlying QCD physics of short-range correlations (SRC) in nuclei. SRC pairs have been proposed as the cause of distorted quark behavior in nuclei; experimentally observed quark momentum distribution distortions termed the EMC effect. The strong spatial overlap of SRC pairs brings nucleon constituents within range of inter-nucleon QCD potentials and any bonds formed - such as the diquark bond - affects their distributions. In this SRC model, diquarks form in the $\rm 3_C \otimes 3_C \rightarrow \bar{3}_C$ channel of $\rm SU(3)_C$ acting on valence quarks from highly overlapping nucleon wavefunctions. The most energetically favorable diquark is a valence $u$ quark from one nucleon with a valence $d$ quark from the other in a spin-0 state bound together via continual single gluon exchange and an attractive quantum chromodynamics short-range potential. Formation of a new scalar isospin-singlet $[ud]$ diquark across a NN pair is proposed as the primary QCD-level theoretical foundation for SRC models of distorted structure functions in $\rm A\geq 3$ nuclei. Contributions from the higher mass spin-1 isospin triplet states $(ud)$, $(uu)$ and $(dd)$ are possible, with the spin-1 $(ud)$ diquark proposed as a higher mass but viable structure function distortion mechanism for the spin-1 ground state deuteron. Predictions are made for lepton scattering experiments on $\rm ^3H$ and $\rm ^3He$ nuclear targets, with implications for the coefficients of the 3-valence quark Fock states in the nucleon wavefunction.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2022

SIDIS Measurement with A=3 Nuclei

We introduce a new experimental effort at Jefferson Lab (JLab) to precisely measure the ratios of charged pion electroproduction in Semi-Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering (SIDIS) from $^2$D, $^3$He, and $^3$H targets \cite{c12-21-004}. This conditionally approved experiment (C12-21-004) aims to run in Hall-B using the standard CLAS12 configuration and a new target system developed for the approved quasi-elastic experiment (E12-20-005). In this data-driven study, we will measure the cross-sections as a function of ($x$, $Q^2$, $z$, $P_T$) to allow the extraction of the unpolarized parton distribution functions (PDFs), transverse momentum distributions (TMDs) and fragmentation functions (FFs) in A = 3 nuclei. By using super-ratios of pion yields of SIDIS off light nuclei over a wide $x_B$ range, we search for evidence of a flavor dependence in the EMC effect, giving us new insights into the effect of the nuclear environment on valance quarks. Double-ratios between A = 3 mirror nuclei can provide a direct measurement of the d/u ratios at large x due to their similar and well-understood nuclear corrections. With the utilization of mirror nuclei and the large kinematic range, and high precision of CLAS12, we will be able to maintain the sensitivity to the underlying physics but dramatically decrease the nuclear uncertainties due to attenuation and hadronization in heavy nuclei targets.

nucl-ex↗
arXiv2021

Neutron Spin Structure from e-3He Scattering with Double Spectator Tagging at the Electron-Ion Collider

The spin structure function of the neutron is traditionally determined by measuring the spin asymmetry of inclusive electron deep inelastic scattering (DIS) off polarized3He nuclei. In such experiments, nuclear effects can lead to large model dependencies in the interpretation of experimental data. Here we study the feasibility of suppressing such model dependencies by tagging both spectator protons in the process of DIS off neutrons in3He at the forthcoming Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). This allows reconstructing the momentum of the struck neutron to ensure it was nearly at rest in the initial state, thereby reducing sensitivity to nuclear corrections, and suppress contributions from electron DIS off protonsin3He. Using realistic accelerator and detector configurations, we find that the EIC can probe the neutron spin structure from xB of 0.003 to 0.651. We further find that the double spectator tagging method results in reduced uncertainties bya factor of 4 on the extracted neutron spin asymmetries over all kinematics, and by a factor of 10 in the low-xB region,thereby providing valuable insight to the spin and flavor structure of nucleons

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arXiv2021

Can we detect the quantum nature of weak gravitational fields?

A theoretical framework for the quantization of gravity has been an elusive Holy Grail since the birth of quantum theory and general relativity. While generations of scientists have attempted solutions to this deep riddle, an alternative path built upon the idea that experimental evidence could determine whether gravity is quantized has been decades in the making. The possibility of an experimental answer to the question of the quantization of gravity is of renewed interest in the era of gravitational wave detectors. We review and investigate an important subset of phenomenological quantum gravity, detecting quantum signatures of weak gravitational fields in table-top experiments and interferometers.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2020

QCD Hidden-Color Hexa-diquark in the Central Core of Nuclei

Hidden-color configurations are a key prediction of QCD with important physical consequences. In this work we examine a QCD color-singlet configuration in nuclei formed by combining six scalar $[u d]$ diquarks in a strongly bound $\rm SU(3)_C$ channel. The resulting hexadiquark state is a charge-2, spin-0, baryon number-4, isospin-0, color-singlet state. It contributes to alpha clustering in light nuclei and to the additional binding energy not saturated by ordinary nuclear forces in \he as well as the alpha-nuclei sequence of interest for nuclear astrophysics. We show that the strongly bound combination of six scalar isospin-0 $[ud]$ diquarks within the nuclear wave function - relative to free nucleons - provides a natural explanation of the EMC effect measured by the CLAS collaboration's comparison of nuclear parton distribution function ratios for a large range of nuclei. These experiments confirmed that the EMC effect; i.e., the distortion of quark distributions within nuclei, is dominantly identified with the dynamics of neutron-proton (``isophobic'') short-range correlations within the nuclear wave function rather than proton-proton or neutron-neutron correlations.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2020

Diffractive Dissociation of Alpha Particles as a Test of Isophobic Short-Range Correlations inside Nuclei

The CLAS collaboration at Jefferson Laboratory has compared nuclear parton distributions for a range of nuclear targets and found that the EMC effect measured in deep inelastic lepton-nucleus scattering has a strongly "isophobic" nature. This surprising observation suggests short-range correlations between neighboring $n$ and $p$ nucleons in nuclear wavefunctions that are much stronger compared to $p-p$ or $n-n$ correlations. In this paper we propose a definitive experimental test of the nucleon-nucleon explanation of the isophobic nature of the EMC effect: the diffractive dissociation on a nuclear target $A$ of high energy $\rm ^4He$ nuclei to pairs of nucleons $n$ and $p$ with high relative transverse momentum, $α+ A \to n + p + A' + X $. The comparison of $n-p$ events with $p-p$ and $n-n$ events directly tests the postulated breaking of isospin symmetry. The experiment also tests alternative QCD-level explanations for the isophobic EMC effect. In particular it will test a proposal for hidden-color degrees of freedom in nuclear wavefunctions based on isospin-zero $[ud]$ diquarks.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2020

Symmetries, Dark Matter and Minicharged Particles

This theoretical particle physics thesis is an investigation into old and new symmetries of Nature. Known symmetries and conservation laws serve as a guide for dark and visible sector model building. New symmetries of Nature are proposed, broken and subsequently reinstated at high temperatures in order to discover well-motivated particle physics models for cosmological observations implying the existence of a dark sector. Candidate processes for creation of a non-primordial matter/antimatter asymmetry result from out of equilibrium spontaneous breaking of these symmetries in the early Universe. Using the Standard Model of particle physics as a foundation with minimal new degrees of freedom, minicharged and millicharged particles emerge from a proposed spontaneous breaking of known symmetries. Experimental predictions and constraints for such dark matter candidates are given briefly here and outlined for future work. Constraints on neutrino-like particles found in the debris of broken local (gauge) symmetries are given, a subset of which are sterile and appear to be viable particle dark matter candidates. A failed baryonic dark matter candidate became a candidate to solve an outstanding nuclear structure problem, the EMC effect.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2019

Millicharged Scalar Fields, Massive Photons and the Breaking of $SU(3)_{C} \times U(1)_{\rm EM}$

Under the assumption that the current epoch of the Universe is not special, i.e. is not the final state of a long history of processes in particle physics, the cosmological fate of $SU(3)_C \times U(1)_{\rm EM}$ is investigated. Spontaneous symmetry breaking of $U(1)_{\rm EM}$ at the temperature of the Universe today is carried out. The charged scalar field $ϕ_{\rm EM}$ which breaks the symmetry is found to be ruled out for the charge of the electron, $q=e$. Scalar fields with millicharges are viable and limits on their masses and charges are found to be $q\lesssim10^{-3}e$ and $m_{ϕ_{\rm EM}}\lesssim10^{-5} \rm eV$. Furthermore, it is possible that $U(1)_{\rm EM}$ has already been broken at temperatures higher than $T=2.7K$ given the nonzero limits on the mass of the photon. A photon mass of $m_γ=10^{-18} \rm eV$, the current upper limit, is found to require a spontaneously symmetry breaking scalar mass of $m_{ϕ_{\rm EM}}\sim 10^{-13} \rm eV$ with charge $q=10^{-6}e$, well within the allowed parameter space of the model. Finally, the cosmological fate of the strong interaction is studied. $SU(3)_C$ is tested for complementarity in which the confinement phase of QCD $+$ colored scalars is equivalent to a spontaneously broken $SU(3)$ gauge theory. If complementarity is not applicable, $SU(3)_C$ has multiple symmetry breaking paths with various final symmetry structures. The stability of the colored vacuum at finite temperature in this scenario is nonperturbative and a definitive statement on the fate of $SU(3)_C$ is left open. Cosmological implications for the metastability of the vacua - electromagnetic, color and electroweak - are discussed.

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