The momentum and helicity density distributions of the strange quark sea in the nucleon are obtained in leading order from charged-kaon production in deep-inelastic scattering on the deuteron. The ...distributions are extracted from spin-averaged K± multiplicities, and from K± and inclusive double-spin asymmetries for scattering of polarized positrons by a polarized deuterium target. The shape of the momentum distribution is softer than that of the average of the u¯ and d¯ quarks. In the region of measurement 0.02<x<0.6 and Q2>1.0 GeV2, the helicity distribution is zero within experimental uncertainties.
Evidence for a narrow baryon state is found in quasi-real photoproduction on a deuterium target through the decay channel pK0S→pπ+π−. A peak is observed in the pK0S invariant mass spectrum at ...1528±2.6(stat)±2.1(syst) MeV. Depending on the background model, the naive statistical significance of the peak is 4–6 standard deviations and its width may be somewhat larger than the experimental resolution of σ=4.3–6.2 MeV. This state may be interpreted as the predicted S=+1 exotic Θ+(uudds̄) pentaquark baryon. No signal for an hypothetical Θ++ baryon was observed in the pK+ invariant mass distribution. The absence of such a signal indicates that an isotensor Θ is excluded and an isovector Θ is unlikely.
A measurement of the beam-spin asymmetry in the azimuthal distribution of pions produced in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering off protons is presented. The measurement was performed using the ...HERMES spectrometer with a hydrogen gas target and the longitudinally polarized 27.6 GeV positron beam of HERA. The sinusoidal amplitude of the dependence of the asymmetry on the angle ϕ of the hadron production plane around the virtual photon direction relative to the lepton scattering plane was measured for π+, π− and π0 mesons. The dependence of this amplitude on the Bjorken scaling variable and on the pion fractional energy and transverse momentum is presented. The results are compared to theoretical model calculations.
Single-spin asymmetries have been measured for semi-inclusive electroproduction of π+, π−, π0 and K+ mesons in deep-inelastic scattering off a longitudinally polarised deuterium target. The ...asymmetries appear in the distribution of the hadrons in the azimuthal angle φ around the virtual photon direction, relative to the lepton scattering plane. The corresponding analysing powers in the sinφ moment of the cross section are 0.012±0.002(stat.)±0.002(syst.) for π+, 0.006±0.003(stat.)±0.002(syst.) for π−, 0.021±0.005(stat.)±0.003(syst.) for π0 and 0.013±0.006(stat.)±0.003(syst.) for K+. The sin2φ moments are compatible with zero for all particles.
A single-spin asymmetry in the distribution of exclusively produced
π
+ mesons azimuthally around the virtual photon direction relative to the lepton scattering plane has been measured for the first ...time in deep-inelastic scattering of positrons off longitudinally polarized protons. Integrated over the experimental acceptance, the sin
φ moment of the polarization asymmetry of the cross section is measured to be −0.18±0.05(stat.)±0.02(syst.). The asymmetry is also studied as a function of the relevant kinematic variables, and its magnitude is found to grow with decreasing
x and increasing −
t and vanish at
t→
t
min (where
x is the Bjorken scaling variable and
t is the squared four-momentum transferred to the nucleon).
This erratum revokes the main conclusion of a Letter that reported measurements of cross sections for deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) of leptons on {sup 3}He and {sup 14}N targets, expressed as ...ratios of {sigma}{sub A}/{sigma}{sub D} to the cross section on the deuterium target.
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