The ratio of the nucleon $F_2$ structure functions, $F^n_2/F^p_2$, is determined by the MARATHON experiment from measurements of deep inelastic scattering of electrons from 3H and 3He nuclei. The ...experiment was performed in the Hall A Facility of Jefferson Lab using two high-resolution spectrometers for electron detection, and a cryogenic target system which included a low-activity tritium cell. The data analysis used a novel technique exploiting the mirror symmetry of the two nuclei, which essentially eliminates many theoretical uncertainties in the extraction of the ratio. The results, which cover the Bjorken scaling variable range 0.19 < x < 0.83, represent a significant improvement compared to previous SLAC and Jefferson Lab measurements for the ratio. They are compared to recent theoretical calculations and empirical determinations of the $F^n_2/F^p_2$ ratio.
We have measured the neutron spin asymmetry A{sub 1}{sup n} with high precision at three kinematics in the deep inelastic region at x = 0.33, 0.47 and 0.60, and Q{sup 2} = 2.7, 3.5 and 4.8 ...(GeV/c){sup 2}, respectively. Our results unambiguously show, for the first time, that A{sub 1}{sup n} crosses zero around x = 0.47 and becomes significantly positive at x = 0.60. Combined with the world proton data, polarized quark distributions were extracted. Our results, in general, agree with relativistic constituent quark models and with perturbative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD) analyses based on the earlier data. However they deviate from pQCD predictions based on hadron helicity conservation.
We report on parity-violating asymmetries in the nucleon resonance region measured using inclusive inelastic scattering of 5-6 GeV longitudinally polarized electrons off an unpolarized deuterium ...target. These results are the first parity-violating asymmetry data in the resonance region beyond the Δ(1232). They provide a verification of quark-hadron duality-the equivalence of the quark- and hadron-based pictures of the nucleon-at the (10-15)% level in this electroweak observable, which is dominated by contributions from the nucleon electroweak γZ interference structure functions. In addition, the results provide constraints on nucleon resonance models relevant for calculating background corrections to elastic parity-violating electron scattering measurements.
Color polarizabilities of the neutron are extracted from data on the lowest moment of the spin-dependent g1 structure function. New data in the resonance region from Jefferson Lab at Q2≲1 GeV2, in ...combination with world data at higher Q2, allow a systematic determination of the 1/Q2 corrections, and provide the first constraints on 1/Q4 corrections. The results suggest that higher-twist effects in the neutron are small, and that quark–hadron duality may be approximately valid, even down to Q2∼1 GeV2.
Guided by the experimental confirmation of the validity of the Effective Momentum Approximation (EMA) in quasi-elastic scattering off nuclei, we have re-examined the extraction of the longitudinal ...and transverse response functions in medium-weight and heavy nuclei. In the EMA we have performed a Rosenbluth separation of the available world data on 40Ca, 48Ca, 56Fe, 197Au, 208Pb and 238U. We find that the longitudinal response function for these nuclei is “quenched” and that the Coulomb sum is not saturated, at odds with claims in the literature.
We report on measurements of the neutron spin asymmetries A{sub 1,2}{sup n} and polarized structure functions g{sub 1,2}{sup n} at three kinematics in the deep inelastic region, with x=0.33, 0.47, ...and 0.60 and Q{sup 2}=2.7, 3.5, and 4.8 (GeV/c){sup 2}, respectively. These measurements were performed using a 5.7 GeV longitudinally polarized electron beam and a polarized {sup 3}He target. The results for A{sub 1}{sup n} and g{sub 1}{sup n} at x=0.33 are consistent with previous world data and, at the two higher-x points, have improved the precision of the world data by about an order of magnitude. The new A{sub 1}{sup n} data show a zero crossing around x=0.47 and the value at x=0.60 is significantly positive. These results agree with a next-to-leading-order QCD analysis of previous world data. The trend of data at high x agrees with constituent quark model predictions but disagrees with that from leading-order perturbative QCD (PQCD) assuming hadron helicity conservation. Results for A{sub 2}{sup n} and g{sub 2}{sup n} have a precision comparable to the best world data in this kinematic region. Combined with previous world data, the moment d{sub 2}{sup n} was evaluated and the new result has improved the precision of this quantity by about a factor of 2. When combined with the world proton data, polarized quark distribution functions were extracted from the new g{sub 1}{sup n}/F{sub 1}{sup n} values based on the quark-parton model. While results for {delta}u/u agree well with predictions from various models, results for {delta}d/d disagree with the leading-order PQCD prediction when hadron helicity conservation is imposed.
Background: Energetic quarks in nuclear DIS propagate through the nuclear medium. Processes that are believed to occur inside nuclei include quark energy loss through medium-stimulated gluon ...bremsstrahlung and intra-nuclear interactions of forming hadrons. More data are required to gain a more complete understanding of these effects. Purpose: To test the theoretical models of parton transport and hadron formation, we compared their predictions for the nuclear and kinematic dependence of pion production in nuclei. Methods: We have measured charged-pion production in semi-inclusive DIS off D, C, Fe, and Pb using the CLAS detector and the CEBAF 5.014 GeV electron beam. We report results on the nuclear-to-deuterium multiplicity ratio for $\pi^{+}$ and $\pi^{-}$ as a function of energy transfer, four-momentum transfer, and pion energy fraction or transverse momentum - the first three-dimensional study of its kind. Results: The $\pi^{+}$ multiplicity ratio is found to depend strongly on the pion fractional energy $z$, and reaches minimum values of $0.67\pm0.03$, $0.43\pm0.02$, and $0.27\pm0.01$ for the C, Fe, and Pb targets, respectively. The $z$ dependences of the multiplicity ratios for $\pi^{+}$ and $\pi^{-}$ are equal within uncertainties for C and Fe targets but show differences at the level of 10$\%$ for the Pb-target data. The results are qualitatively described by the GiBUU transport model, as well as with a model based on hadron absorption, but are in tension with calculations based on nuclear fragmentation functions. Conclusions: These precise results will strongly constrain the kinematic and flavor dependence of nuclear effects in hadron production, probing an unexplored kinematic region. They will help to reveal how the nucleus reacts to a fast quark, thereby shedding light on its color structure, transport properties, and on the mechanisms of the hadronization process.
Measurements of elastic electron scattering data within the past decade have highlighted two-photon exchange contributions as a necessary ingredient in theoretical calculations to precisely evaluate ...hydrogen elastic scattering cross sections. This correction can modify the cross section at the few percent level. In contrast, dispersive effects can cause significantly larger changes from the Born approximation. The purpose of this experiment is to extract the carbon-12 elastic cross section around the first diffraction minimum, where the Born term contributions to the cross section are small to maximize the sensitivity to dispersive effects. The analysis uses the LEDEX data from the high resolution Jefferson Lab Hall A spectrometers to extract the cross sections near the first diffraction minimum of
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C at beam energies of 362 MeV and 685 MeV. The results are in very good agreement with previous world data, although with less precision. The average deviation from a static nuclear charge distribution expected from linear and quadratic fits indicate a 30.6% contribution of dispersive effects to the cross section at 1 GeV. The magnitude of the dispersive effects near the first diffraction minimum of
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C has been confirmed to be large with a strong energy dependence and could account for a large fraction of the magnitude for the observed quenching of the longitudinal nuclear response. These effects could also be important for nuclei radii extracted from parity-violating asymmetries measured near a diffraction minimum.
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