Spin dependent electron scattering with the BLAST detector

The Bates Larger Acceptance Spectrometer Toroid (BLAST) is a detector designed to study in a comprehensive and precise way the spin dependent electromagnetic response of few-body nuclei. The BLAST scientific program is focussed on the study of these systems in terms of nucleon structure, the ground state few body structure built from the nucleon-nucleon interaction and the nature of the interaction of the virtual photon forQ ²≤1 (GeV/c)²). To accomplish its scientific goals, BLAST utilizes the latest technology available in the form of polarized electron scattering from pure, polarized internal gas targets. The Bates Soung Hall Ring (SHR) delivers longitudinally polarized electrons at the location of the BLAST detector. Measurement are currently underway, and and a brief status report is presented here.     

Pion and eta photoproduction in nuclei

We calculate the quasifree photoproduction of pions and eta mesons on nuclei from¹²C to²⁰⁸Pb. Assuming that for the quasifree process the cross sections forπ/η photoproduction on a nucleon in medium are — besides a lowering due to Pauli blocking — identical to those on a free nucleon, we use these as an input. The produced mesons or resonances then propagate through the nucleus where they can undergo several scattering and absorption processes. This final state interaction, which leads to a lowering of the initial meson yield up to 70%, we simulate in a coupled channel Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck transport model. It allows us to study in detail the influence of Fermi motion, Pauli blocking and of the additional decay channels for nucleon resonances in medium on the photoproduction cross section. The calculated total and differential cross sections are compared to experimental data and the influence of the different medium effects on the cross sections is discussed in detail.     

Spin structure function g 1 (x, Q) and the DHGHY integral I(Q) at low Q: predictions from the GVMD model

Theoretical predictions for the polarized nucleon structure function g ₁ (x, Q ² ) at low Q² are obtained in the framework of the generalized vector meson dominance model. Contributions from both light and heavy vector mesons are evaluated. In the photoproduction limit the first moment of g₁ is related to the static properties of the nucleon via the Drell-Hearn-Gerasimov-Hosoda-Yamamoto sum rule. This property is employed to fix the magnitude of the light vector meson contribution to g₁, using the recent measurements in the region of baryonic resonances. The results are compared to the data on g ₁ (x, Q ² ). Finally, the DHGHY moment function I(Q ² ) is calculated, and our theoretical predictions are confronted with the recent preliminary data obtained at the Jefferson Laboratory. Received: 9 July 2002 / Published online: 7 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a" e-mail: badelek@fuw.edu.pl RID="b" ID="b" e-mail: jan.kwiecinski@ifj.edu.pl RID="c" ID="c" e-mail: ziaja@tsl.uu.se     

Quark model for kaon nucleon scattering

Kaon nucleon elastic scattering is studied using chiral SU(3) quark model including antiquarks. Parameters of the present model are essentially based on nucleon–nucleon and nucleon–hyperon interactions. The mass of the scalar meson σ is taken as 635 MeV. Using this model, the phase shifts of the S and P partial waves of the kaon nucleon elastic scattering are investigated for isospins 0 and 1. The results of numerical calculations of different partial waves are in good agreement with experimental data.     

Analysis of the electroproduction structure functions in the lowQ 2 region,combining the vector meson dominance and the parton model with possible scaling violation

The nucleon structure functionF ₂ is constructed and analysed for low values ofQ ² using the generalised vector meson dominance representation with the largeQ ² spectral function calculated from the analytic continuation of the parton model structure function. Various parametrisations of the parton distributions are considered. Possible effects of the largeQ ² scaling violation on the lowQ ² part of the structure function are investigated. The magnitude of the total contribution given by this asymptotic part can be as high as 50% of the vector meson contribution in the low-Q ², low-χ region. The contribution of the valence quarks alone to the structure function at lowQ ² turns out to be at least as important as the corresponding non-Pomeron Regge-pole-like terms coming from the vector meson part. Increase of the structure function with ν coming from the increase of the quark sea in the limit of small χ implied by QCD turns out to be relatively weak at lowQ ². Predictions of the model are compared with available experimental data. The photoproduction cross section and the nuclear effects in the structure function are also briefly discussed.     

On the applicability of perturbative QCD to exclusive processes at currently available momentum transfer

We re-examine the problems connected with the end-point dominance in the calculation of exclusive processes in perturbative QCD. In a re-analysis we construct nucleon quark distribution amplitudes from the respective moments obtained from a QCD sum rule approach. These functions lead to acceptable values for the e.m. Dirac form factorsF ₁ ^p,n of the nucleon if effective gluon masses of ca. 300–600 MeV are included into the hard-scattering amplitude. In addition we also find a reasonable Q₂ — dependence of the proton form factor. The results point at the importance of the end-point k-dependence of distribution amplitude and hard-scattering amplitude in the calculation of exclusive processes.Work is supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Ga 153-13-1) and partially by NATO (0581/87)     

Exclusive meson production at HERMES

Hard exclusive production of mesons in deep-inelastic scattering allows one to probe the so-far unknown Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) of the nucleon. The HERMES experiment has measured several different observables in exclusive meson production by scattering the 27.6GeV HERA lepton beam off an internal fixed gaseous target. Recent results on exclusive π ⁺, ρ ⁰ and pion pair production will be presented.     

The (spin) structure of the nucleon

A selection of new data obtained by the HERMES experiment at DESY is presented, which provides new insight into the QCD structure of the nucleon. Using polarized lepton beams and polarized targets, the spin-dependent structure function g ₁(x) has been determined for ¹ H, ² H and ³ He. By also observing one of the produced hadrons it has been possible to extract the polarization distribution of individual quark flavours in the nucleon as well. Further information on nucleon structure has been obtained by observing (almost) exclusive reactions, which can be interpreted in terms of the recently introduced generalized parton distributions (GPDs). As an example of such data measurements of both the beam-spin and beam-charge asymmetries resulting from deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) are presented. By embedding the deep-inelastic scattering process in the nuclear environment additional information can be obtained on nucleon structure and some QCD effects. The potential of this technique is illustrated by showing new results on tagged structure functions and hadronization in nuclei.Received: 30 September 2002, Published online: 22 October 2003PACS: 13.60.Hb Total and inclusive cross-sections (including deep-inelastic processes) - 13.88. + e Polarization in interactions and scattering - 14.20.Dh Protons and neutrons - 24.85. + p Quarks, gluons, and QCD in nuclei and nuclear processesG. van der Steenhoven: For the HERMES Collaboration     

Parity-violating electron scattering – an experimental overview

We discuss the current status and future plans of world-wide efforts of parity-violating asymmetry measurements in the scattering of longitudinally polarized electrons off unpolarized fixed targets. One thrust is the measurements of nucleon neutral weak form factors at intermediate four-momentum transfer (0.1 < Q ² < 1) (GeV/c)² which provides information about the role of virtual strange quarks on the charge and current distributions inside nucleons. A new topic is the elastic neutral weak amplitude at very low Q ² from scattering off a heavy spinless nucleus, which is sensitive to the presence of a neutron skin. Finally, we discuss the neutral current elastic amplitude at very low Q ² off protons and electrons and in the DIS regime off deuterium, which allows precision measurements of the weak mixing angle at low energy and is thus sensitive to new physics at the TeV scale. The physics implications of recent results, potential measurements from experiments under construction as well as new ideas at future facilities are discussed.     

Color transparency effects in electron deuteron interactions at intermediateQ 2

High momentum transfer electrodisintegration of polarized and unpolarized deuterium targets,d(e, ep)n is studied. We show that the importance of final state interactions FSI, occuring when a knocked out nucleon interacts with the other nucleon, depends strongly on the momentum of the spectator nucleon. In particular, these FSI occur when the essential contributions to the scattering amplitude arise from internucleon distances 1.5 fm. But the absorption of the high momentum ^* may produce a point like configuration, which evolves with time. In this case, the final state interactions probe the point like configuration at the early stage of its evolution. If the point like configuration is still small after propagating about 1.5 fm, the FSI are suppressed. The result is that significant color transparency effects, which can either enhance or suppress computed cross sections, are predicted to occur forQ ²4GeV². We suggest searching for color transparency phenomenon by examining ratios of experimentally measured quantities. Possible theoretical uncertainties of the calculations, including those due to the deuteron wave function and relativistic effects, are found to be small.This work was supported in part by the USA — Israel Binational Science Foundation Grant No. 9200126 and by the US Department of Energy under Contract Nos. DE-FG02-93ER40771 and DE-FG06-88ER40427.     

Quasi-free scattering in the 3-N continuum

The interaction of a nucleon with the deuteron leading to break-up at the quasi-free scattering (QFS) condition is studied atE _N ^lab =12.0, 22.7, 68.0, and 140.0 MeV. Results of rigorous Faddeev calculations and of the impulse approximation (IA) are compared at these energies for bothn-p andp-p QFS in order to study the importance of rescattering terms. For the two-nucleon interaction the Paris potential is used. It is restricted to act in two-body states with total angular momentumj2. Also we compare the Faddeev calculations with experimental data for the QFS cross section and analyzing powerA _y and find overall agreement. The behaviour of scattering observables turns out to be different forn-p andp-p QFS. Also the energy dependence of rescattering terms is different in the two cases. For all energies studied the IA is not reliable.     

Subthreshold and near threshold K+ meson photoproduction\newline on nuclei

The inclusive K⁺ meson production in photon–induced reactions in the near threshold and subthreshold energy regimes is analyzed with respect to the one–step (γN→K ⁺ Y, Y=Λ,Σ) incoherent production processes on the basis of an appropriate new folding model, which takes properly into account the struck target nucleon removal energy and internal momentum distribution (nucleon spectral function), extracted from recent quasielastic electron scattering experiments and from many–body calculations with realistic models of the NN interaction. Simple parametrizations for the total and differential cross sections of the K⁺ production in photon–nucleon collisions are presented. Comparison of the model calculations of the K⁺ differential cross sections for the reaction γ+C¹² in the threshold region with the existing experimental data is given, that displays the contributions to the K⁺ production at considered incident energies coming from the use of the single–particle part as well as high momentum and high removal energy part of the nucleon spectral function. Detailed predictions for the K⁺ total and differential cross sections from γH², γC¹² and γPb²⁰⁸ reactions at subthreshold and near threshold energies are provided. The influence of the uncertainties in the elementary K⁺ production cross sections on the K⁺ yield is explored. Received: 12 April 1999 / Revised version: 11 September 1999     

Mean field model for relativistic heavy ion collisions

We take up a relativistic mean-field model consisting out of nucleons coupled to a scalar and a vector meson. We solve the corresponding time-dependent mean-field equations on a three-dimensional grid. Results for¹⁶O +¹⁶O scattering at various energies and various impact parameters show significant differences with conventional TDHF calculations. We see sidewards collective flow similar as in fluid dynamics and in experiment. We observe complete spallation and remarked oscillations of the meson fields.     

Study of nuclear effects in nucleon structure functions up to and beyond the kinematic limit

An experiment on deep inelastic muon nucleon scattering in order to study the x-dependence of nucleon structure functions and their ratios over a range ofQ ²=50–200 GeV² andx= =0·4–2·0 is proposed. Such measurements performed on a number of nuclei with atomic weights from 2 to 207 provide new information for detailed studies of the EMC effect and test models explaining thex-behaviour of the nucleon structure functions and their ratios. The measurements are decisive for the proof that a quark-parton model of the nucleus describes adequately nuclear structure probed at high energies. The upgraded high luminosity BCDMS spectrometer with improved resolution in transferred energy can be used for the measurements.Dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research.     

Meson cloud and nucleon strangeness: An update

We use a version of the meson cloud model, including kaon, κ and K^* contributions, to estimate the electric and magnetic strange form factors of the nucleon. We compare our results with the recent measurements of the strange-quark contribution to parity-violating asymmetries in electron-proton scattering experiments.     

Analysis of the G0 Backward Angle experiment

We have measured parity-violating asymmetries in elastic electron?Cproton and quasi-elastic electron?Cdeuteron scattering at Q ²?=?0.22 and 0.63 GeV². They are sensitive to strange quark contributions to currents in the nucleon, and to the nucleon axial current. The results indicate strange quark contributions of ??10% of the charge and magnetic nucleon form factors at these four-momentum transfers. Analysis of the data is summarized.     

Higher-twist effects in QCD,deep inelastic scattering,and the Drell-Yan process

Inclusion of specific effects associated with constituent binding in hadronic wave functions is shown to lead to important non-scaling, nonfactorizing 1/Q ² contributions to cross sections for semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering, the Drell-Yan process, and other hard scattering reactions. These 1/Q ² higher-twist terms are predicted to be dominant in well defined kinematic regions such as largex and/or largez. The provide angular distributions typical of longitudinally polarized virtual photons andW's, including sin² θ terms in meson induced Drell-Yan processes and ine ⁺ e ^?→πX, as well as unusual (1?y) terms in deep-inelastic scattering. Calculations are also presented of the quark structure functions of the pionq _π(x, Q ²) and for the quark to pion fragmentation functionD _π(z, Q ²). Predictions are made for the azimuthal angle dependence of the cross sections for \(\pi N \to \mu {\text{ }}\bar \mu X\) andlN→l′πX.     

Low temperature electrical conductivity and magnetoconductivity of Fe39Ni39Mo4Si6B12 and Co58Ni10Fe5Si11B16 metallic glass alloys

A detailed study on the weak localization phenomenon vis-a-vis electron-electron interaction effects in magnetic metallic glasses has been carried out. We measured the electrical conductivity and magnetoconductivity within the temperature range 1.8≤T≤300K. A maximum on the conductivity versus temperature curve exists atT=T _m. The conductivity was observed to follow aT ^1/2 law forT<T _m andT ² law forT>T _m. Magnetoconductivity data of these alloys indicate the prominence of electron-electron interaction at low temperatures. The authors have determined the inelastic scattering field and spin-orbit scattering field from the magnetoconductivity data. The inelastic scattering field obeys aT ^p law (p=2) at low temperatures.     

Phenomenology of nuclear shadowing in deep-inelastic scattering

We investigate shadowing effects in deep-inelastic scattering from nuclei at small valuesx < 0.1 of the Bjorken variable. Unifying aspects of generalized vector meson dominance and color transparency we first develop a model for deep-inelastic scattering from free nucleons at smallx. In application to nuclear targets we find that the coherent interaction of quark-antiquark fluctuations with nucleons in a nucleus leads to the observed shadowing atx < 0.1. We compare our results with most of the recent data for a large variety of nuclei and examine in particular the Q² dependence of the shadowing effect. While the coherent interaction of low mass vector mesons causes a major part of the shadowing observed in the Q² range of current experiments, the coherent scattering of continuum quark-antiquark pairs is also important and guarantees a very weak overall Q² dependence of the effect. We also discuss shadowing in deuterium and its implications for the quark flavor structure of nucleons. Finally we comment on shadowing effects in high-energy photon-nucleus reactions with real photons.