arXiv subjects

W. J. Briscoe

Publications and source records attributed to W. J. Briscoe.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Measurement of the helicity asymmetry $E$ in $ω\toπ^+π^-π^0$ photoproduction

The double-polarization observable $E$ was studied for the reaction $γp\to pω$ using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) in Hall B at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and the longitudinally-polarized frozen-spin target (FROST). The observable was measured from the charged decay mode of the meson, $ω\toπ^+π^-π^0$, using a circularly-polarized tagged-photon beam with energies ranging from the $ω$ threshold at 1.1 to 2.3 GeV. A partial-wave analysis within the Bonn-Gatchina framework found dominant contributions from the $3/2^+$ partial wave near threshold, which is identified with the sub-threshold $N(1720)\,3/2^+$ nucleon resonance. To describe the entire data set, which consisted of $ω$ differential cross sections and a large variety of polarization observables, further contributions from other nucleon resonances were found to be necessary. With respect to non-resonant mechanisms, $π$ exchange in the $t$-channel was found to remain small across the analyzed energy range, while pomeron $t$-channel exchange gradually grew from the reaction threshold to dominate all other contributions above $W \approx 2$ GeV.

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arXiv2017

Double $K_S^0$ Photoproduction off the Proton at CLAS

The $f_0$(1500) meson resonance is one of several contenders to have significant mixing with the lightest glueball. This resonance is well established from several previous experiments. Here we present the first photoproduction data for the $f_0$(1500) via decay into the $K_S^0 K_S^0$ channel using the CLAS detector. The reaction $γp$ -> $f_0 p$ -> $K_S^0 K_S^0 p$, where J = 0, 2, was measured with photon energies from 2.7 to 5.1 GeV. A clear peak is seen at 1500 MeV in the background subtracted invariant mass spectra of the two kaons. This is enhanced if the measured 4-momentum transfer to the proton target is restricted to be less than 1.0 GeV2. By comparing data with simulations, it can be concluded that the peak at 1500 MeV is produced primarily at low t, which is consistent with a t-channel production mechanism.

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arXiv2017

Technical Design Report for the Paul Scherrer Institute Experiment R-12-01.1: Studying the Proton "Radius" Puzzle with μp Elastic Scattering

The difference in proton radii measured with $μp$ atoms and with $ep$ atoms and scattering remains an unexplained puzzle. The PSI MUSE proposal is to measure $μp$ and $e p$ scattering in the same experiment at the same time. The experiment will determine cross sections, two-photon effects, form factors, and radii independently for the two reactions, and will allow $μp$ and $ep$ results to be compared with reduced systematic uncertainties. These data should provide the best test of lepton universality in a scattering experiment to date, about an order of magnitude improvement over previous tests. Measuring scattering with both particle polarities will allow a test of two-photon exchange at the sub-percent level, about a factor of four improvement on uncertainties and over an order of magnitude more data points than previous low momentum transfer determinations, and similar to the current generation of higher momentum transfer electron experiments. The experiment has the potential to demonstrate whether the $μp$ and $ep$ interactions are consistent or different, and whether any difference results from novel physics or two-photon exchange. The uncertainties are such that if the discrepancy is real it should be confirmed with $\approx$5$σ$ significance, similar to that already established between the regular and muonic hydrogen Lamb shift.

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arXiv2017

Differential Cross Section Measurements for $γn\toπ^-p$ Above the First Nucleon Resonance Region

The quasi-free $γd\toπ^{-}p(p)$ differential cross section has been measured with CLAS at photon beam energies $E_γ$ from 0.445 GeV to 2.510 GeV (corresponding to $W$ from 1.311 GeV to 2.366 GeV) for pion center-of-mass angles $\cosθ_π^{c.m.}$ from -0.72 to 0.92. A correction for final state interactions has been applied to this data to extract the $γn\toπ^-p$ differential cross sections. These cross sections are quoted in 8428 $(E_γ,\cosθ_π^{c.m.})$ bins, a factor of nearly three increase in the world statistics for this channel in this kinematic range. These new data help to constrain coupled-channel analysis fits used to disentangle the spectrum of $N^*$ resonances and extract their properties. Selected photon decay amplitudes $N^* \to γn$ at the resonance poles are determined for the first time and are reported here.

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arXiv2017

First Exclusive Measurement of Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering off $^4$He: Toward the 3D Tomography of Nuclei

We report on the first measurement of the beam-spin asymmetry in the exclusive process of coherent deeply virtual Compton scattering off a nucleus. The experiment used the 6 GeV electron beam from the CEBAF accelerator at Jefferson Lab incident on a pressurized $^4$He gaseous target placed in front of the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). The scattered electron was detected by CLAS and the photon by a dedicated electromagnetic calorimeter at forward angles. To ensure the exclusivity of the process, a specially designed radial time projection chamber was used to detect the recoiling $^4$He nuclei. We measured beam-spin asymmetries larger than those observed on the free proton in the same kinematic domain. From these, we were able to extract, in a model-independent way, the real and imaginary parts of the only $^4$He Compton form factor, $\cal H_A$. This first measurement of coherent deeply virtual Compton scattering on the $^4$He nucleus, with a fully exclusive final state via nuclear recoil tagging, leads the way toward 3D imaging of the partonic structure of nuclei.

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arXiv2017

Measurement of two-photon exchange effect by comparing elastic $e^\pm p$ cross sections

[Background] The electromagnetic form factors of the proton measured by unpolarized and polarized electron scattering experiments show a significant disagreement that grows with the squared four momentum transfer ($Q^{2}$). Calculations have shown that the two measurements can be largely reconciled by accounting for the contributions of two-photon exchange (TPE). TPE effects are not typically included in the standard set of radiative corrections since theoretical calculations of the TPE effects are highly model dependent, and, until recently, no direct evidence of significant TPE effects has been observed. [Purpose] We measured the ratio of positron-proton to electron-proton elastic-scattering cross sections in order to determine the TPE contribution to elastic electron-proton scattering and thereby resolve the proton electric form factor discrepancy. [Methods] We produced a mixed simultaneous electron-positron beam in Jefferson Lab's Hall B by passing the 5.6 GeV primary electron beam through a radiator to produce a bremsstrahlung photon beam and then passing the photon beam through a convertor to produce electron/positron pairs. The mixed electron-positron (lepton) beam with useful energies from approximately 0.85 to 3.5 GeV then struck a 30-cm long liquid hydrogen (LH$_2$) target located within the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). By detecting both the scattered leptons and the recoiling protons we identified and reconstructed elastic scattering events and determined the incident lepton energy. A detailed description of the experiment is presented.

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arXiv2017

Photon beam asymmetry $Σ$ in the reaction $\vecγ p \to p ω$ for $E_γ$ = 1.152 to 1.876 GeV

Photon beam asymmetry $Σ$ measurements for $ω$ photoproduction in the reaction $\vecγ p \to ωp$ are reported for photon energies from 1.152 to 1.876 GeV. Data were taken using a linearly-polarized tagged photon beam, a cryogenic hydrogen target, and the CLAS spectrometer in Hall B at Jefferson Lab. The measurements obtained markedly increase the size of the database for this observable, extend coverage to higher energies, and resolve discrepancies in previously published data. Comparisons of these new results with predictions from a chiral-quark-based model and from a dynamical coupled-channels model indicate the importance of interferences between $t$-channel meson exchange and $s$- and $u$-channel contributions, underscoring sensitivity to the nucleon resonances included in those descriptions. Comparisons with the Bonn-Gatchina partial-wave analysis indicate the $Σ$ data reported here help to fix the magnitudes of the interference terms between the leading amplitudes in that calculation (Pomeron exchange and the resonant portion of the $J^P=3/2^+$ partial wave), as well as the resonant portions of the smaller partial waves with $J^P$= $1/2^-$, $3/2^-$, and $5/2^+$.

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arXiv2017

First measurement of the polarization observable $E$ and helicity-dependent cross sections in single $π^{0}$ photoproduction from quasi-free nucleons

The double-polarization observable $E$ and the helicity-dependent cross sections $σ_{1/2}$ and $σ_{3/2}$ have been measured for the first time for single $π^{0}$ photoproduction from protons and neutrons bound in the deuteron at the electron accelerator facility MAMI in Mainz, Germany. The experiment used a circularly polarized photon beam and a longitudinally polarized deuterated butanol target. The reaction products, recoil nucleons and decay photons from the $π^0$ meson were detected with the Crystal Ball and TAPS electromagnetic calorimeters. Effects from nuclear Fermi motion were removed by a kinematic reconstruction of the $π^{0}N$ final state. A comparison to data measured with a free proton target showed that the absolute scale of the cross sections is significantly modified by nuclear final-state interaction (FSI) effects. However, there is no significant effect on the asymmetry $E$ since the $σ_{1/2}$ and $σ_{3/2}$ components appear to be influenced in a similar way. Thus, the best approximation of the two helicity-dependent cross sections for the free neutron is obtained by combining the asymmetry $E$ measured with quasi-free neutrons and the unpolarized cross section corrected for FSI effects under the assumption that the FSI effects are similar for neutrons and protons.

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arXiv2017

Measurement of the beam asymmetry $Σ$ for $π^0$ and $η$ photoproduction on the proton at $E_γ= 9$ GeV

We report measurements of the photon beam asymmetry $Σ$ for the reactions $\vecγp\to pπ^0$ and $\vecγp\to pη$ from the GlueX experiment using a 9 GeV linearly-polarized, tagged photon beam incident on a liquid hydrogen target in Jefferson Lab's Hall D. The asymmetries, measured as a function of the proton momentum transfer, possess greater precision than previous $π^0$ measurements and are the first $η$ measurements in this energy regime. The results are compared with theoretical predictions based on $t$-channel, quasi-particle exchange and constrain the axial-vector component of the neutral meson production mechanism in these models.

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arXiv2017

The Beam-Target Helicity Asymmetry for $\vecγ \vec{n} \rightarrow π^- p$ in the {\bf{$N^*$} Resonance Region

We report the first beam-target double-polarization asymmetries in the $γ+ n(p) \rightarrow π^- + p(p)$ reaction spanning the nucleon resonance region from invariant mass $W$= $1500$ to $2300$ MeV. Circularly polarized photons and longitudinally polarized deuterons in $H\!D$ have been used with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. The exclusive final state has been extracted using three very different analyses that show excellent agreement, and these have been used to deduce the {\it{E}} polarization observable for an effective neutron target. These results have been incorporated into new partial wave analyses, and have led to significant revisions for several $γnN^*$ resonance photo-couplings.

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arXiv2017

Measurement of the omega -> pi^0 e^+e^- and eta -> e^+e^-g Dalitz decays with the A2 setup at MAMI

The Dalitz decays eta -> e^+e^-g and omega -> pi^0 e^+e^- have been measured in the g p -> eta p and g p -> omega p reactions, respectively, with the A2 tagged-photon facility at the Mainz Microtron, MAMI. The value obtained for the slope parameter of the electromagnetic transition form factor of eta, Lambda^{-2}_eta=(1.97+/-0.11_tot) GeV^{-2}, is in good agreement with previous measurements of the eta -> e^+e^-g and eta -> mu^+mu^-g decays. The uncertainty obtained in the value of Lambda^{-2}_eta is lower than in previous results based on the eta -> e^+e^-g decay. The value obtained for the omega slope parameter, Lambda^{-2}_omega_pi^0 = (1.99+/-0.21_tot) GeV^{-2}, is somewhat lower than previous measurements based on omega -> pi^0 mu^+mu^-, but the results for the omega transition form factor are in better agreement with theoretical calculations, compared to earlier experiments.

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arXiv2017

Helicity-dependent cross sections and double-polarization observable E in eta photoproduction from quasi-free protons and neutrons

Precise helicity-dependent cross sections and the double-polarization observable $E$ were measured for $η$ photoproduction from quasi-free protons and neutrons bound in the deuteron. The $η\rightarrow 2γ$ and $η\rightarrow 3π^0\rightarrow 6γ$ decay modes were used to optimize the statistical quality of the data and to estimate systematic uncertainties. The measurement used the A2 detector setup at the tagged photon beam of the electron accelerator MAMI in Mainz. A longitudinally polarized deuterated butanol target was used in combination with a circularly polarized photon beam from bremsstrahlung of a longitudinally polarized electron beam. The reaction products were detected with the electromagnetic calorimeters Crystal Ball and TAPS, which covered 98\% of the full solid angle. The results show that the narrow structure observed earlier in the unpolarized excitation function of $η$ photoproduction off the neutron appears only in reactions with antiparallel photon and nucleon spin ($σ_{1/2}$). It is absent for reactions with parallel spin orientation ($σ_{3/2}$) and thus very probably related to partial waves with total spin 1/2. The behavior of the angular distributions of the helicity-dependent cross sections was analyzed by fitting them with Legendre polynomials. The results are in good agreement with a model from the Bonn-Gatchina group, which uses an interference of $P_{11}$ and $S_{11}$ partial waves to explain the narrow structure.

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arXiv2017

Exclusive $η$ electroproduction at $W>2$ GeV with CLAS and transversity generalized parton distributions

The cross section of the exclusive $η$ electroproduction reaction $ep\to e^\prime p^\prime η$ was measured at Jefferson Lab with a 5.75-GeV electron beam and the CLAS detector. Differential cross sections $d^4σ/dtdQ^2dx_Bdϕ_η$ and structure functions $σ_U = σ_T+εσ_L, σ_{TT}$ and $σ_{LT}$, as functions of $t$ were obtained over a wide range of $Q^2$ and $x_B$. The $η$ structure functions are compared with those previously measured for $π^0$ at the same kinematics. At low $t$, both $π^0$ and $η$ are described reasonably well by generalized parton distributions (GPDs) in which chiral-odd transversity GPDs are dominant. The $π^0$ and $η$ data, when taken together, can facilitate the flavor decomposition of the transversity GPDs.

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arXiv2017

Target and Double Spin Asymmetries of Deeply Virtual $π^0$ Production with a Longitudinally Polarized Proton Target and CLAS

The target and double spin asymmetries of the exclusive pseudoscalar channel $\vec e\vec p\to epπ^0$ were measured for the first time in the deep-inelastic regime using a longitudinally polarized 5.9 GeV electron beam and a longitudinally polarized proton target at Jefferson Lab with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). The data were collected over a large kinematic phase space and divided into 110 four-dimensional bins of $Q^2$, $x_B$, $-t$ and $ϕ$. Large values of asymmetry moments clearly indicate a substantial contribution to the polarized structure functions from transverse virtual photon amplitudes. The interpretation of experimental data in terms of generalized parton distributions (GPDs) provides the first insight on the chiral-odd GPDs $\tilde{H}_T$ and $E_T$, and complement previous measurements of unpolarized structure functions sensitive to the GPDs $H_T$ and $\bar E_T$. These data provide necessary constraints for chiral-odd GPD parametrizations and will strongly influence existing theoretical handbag models.

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arXiv2017

Photon beam asymmetry $Σ$ for $η$ and $η^\prime$ photoproduction from the proton

Measurements of the linearly-polarized photon beam asymmetry $Σ$ for photoproduction from the proton of $η$ and $η^\prime$ mesons are reported. A linearly-polarized tagged photon beam produced by coherent bremsstrahlung was incident on a cryogenic hydrogen target within the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer. Results are presented for the $γp \to ηp$ reaction for incident photon energies from 1.070 to 1.876 GeV, and from 1.516 to 1.836 GeV for the $γp \to η^\prime p$ reaction. For $γp \to ηp$, the data reported here considerably extend the range of measurements to higher energies, and are consistent with the few previously published measurements for this observable near threshold. For $γp \to η^\prime p$, the results obtained are consistent with the few previously published measurements for this observable near threshold, but also greatly expand the incident photon energy coverage for that reaction. Initial analysis of the data reported here with the Bonn-Gatchina model strengthens the evidence for four nucleon resonances -- the $N(1895)1/2^-$, $N(1900)3/2^+$, $N(2100)1/2^+$ and $N(2120)3/2^-$ resonances -- which presently lack the "four-star" status in the current Particle Data Group compilation, providing examples of how these new measurements help refine models of the photoproduction process.

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arXiv2017

Measurement of the pi^0 -> e^+e^-gamma Dalitz decay at the Mainz Microtron

The Dalitz decay pi^0 -> e^+e^-gamma has been measured in the gamma p -> pi^0 p reaction with the A2 tagged-photon facility at the Mainz Microtron, MAMI. The value obtained for the slope parameter of the pi^0 electromagnetic transition form factor, a_pi = 0.030+/-0.010_tot, is in agreement with existing measurements of this decay and with recent theoretical calculations. The uncertainty obtained in the value of a_pi is lower than in previous results based on the pi^0 -> e^+e^-gamma decay.

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arXiv2017

Insight into the narrow structure in {\boldmath{$η$}}-photoproduction on the neutron from helicity dependent cross sections

The double polarization observable $E$ and the helicity dependent cross sections $σ_{1/2}$ and $σ_{3/2}$ were measured for $η$ photoproduction from quasi-free protons and neutrons. The circularly polarized tagged photon beam of the A2 experiment at the Mainz MAMI accelerator was used in combination with a longitudinally polarized deuterated butanol target. The almost $4π$ detector setup of the Crystal Ball and TAPS is ideally suited to detect the recoil nucleons and the decay photons from $η\rightarrow 2γ$ and $η\rightarrow 3π^0$. The results show that the narrow structure previously observed in $η$ photoproduction from the neutron is only apparent in $σ_{1/2}$ and hence, most likely related to a spin-1/2 amplitude. Nucleon resonances that contribute to this partial wave in $η$ production are only $N1/2^-$ ($S_{11}$) and $N1/2^+$ ($P_{11}$). Furthermore, the extracted Legendre coefficients of the angular distributions for $σ_{1/2}$ are in good agreement with recent reaction model predictions assuming a narrow resonance in the $P_{11}$ wave as the origin of this structure.

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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.

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