Separated structure functions for the exclusive electroproduction of K+Λ and K+Σ0 final states

We report measurements of the exclusive electroproduction of K+Λ and K+Σ0 final states from a proton target using the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) large-acceptance spectrometer (CLAS) detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The separated structure functions σT,σL,σTT, and σLT were extracted from the Φ- and ε-dependent differential cross sections taken with electron beam energies of 2.567, 4.056, and 4.247 GeV. This analysis represents the first σL/σT separation with the CLAS detector, and the first measurement of the kaon electroproduction structure functions away from parallel kinematics. The data span a broad range of momentum transfers from 0.

Probing the nucleon structure with CLAS

An overview of recent results with CLAS is presented with emphasis on nucleon resonance studies, nucleon spin structure, and generalized parton distributions.Comment: Plenary talk presented at NSTAR 2007, Bonn, German

Exclusive electroproduction of K+ Lambda and K+ Sigma^0 final states at Q^2 = 0.030-0.055 (GeV/c)^2

Cross section measurements of the exclusive p(e,e'K+)Lambda,Sigma^0 electroproduction reactions have been performed at the Mainz Microtron MAMI in the A1 spectrometer facility using for the first time the Kaos spectrometer for kaon detection. These processes were studied in a kinematical region not covered by any previous experiment. The nucleon was probed in its third resonance region with virtual photons of low four-momenta, Q^2= 0.030-0.055 (GeV/c)^2. The MAMI data indicate a smooth transition in Q^2 from photoproduction to electroproduction cross sections. Comparison with predictions of effective Lagrangian models based on the isobar approach reveal that strong longitudinal couplings of the virtual photon to the N* resonances can be excluded from these models.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure

Probing the high momentum component of the deuteron at high Q^2

The d(e,e'p) cross section at a momentum transfer of 3.5 (GeV/c)^2 was measured over a kinematical range that made it possible to study this reaction for a set of fixed missing momenta as a function of the neutron recoil angle theta_nq and to extract missing momentum distributions for fixed values of theta_nq up to 0.55 GeV/c. In the region of 35 (deg) <= theta_nq <= 45 (deg) recent calculations, which predict that final state interactions are small, agree reasonably well with the experimental data. Therefore these experimental reduced cross sections provide direct access to the high momentum component of the deuteron momentum distribution in exclusive deuteron electro-disintegration.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn Sum Rule and the Discrepancy between the New CLAS and SAPHIR Data

Contribution of the K^+\Lambda channel to the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn (GDH) sum rule has been calculated by using the models that fit the recent SAPHIR or CLAS differential cross section data. It is shown that the two data sets yield quite different contributions. Contribution of this channel to the forward spin polarizability of the proton has been also calculated. It is also shown that the inclusion of the recent CLAS C_x and C_z data in the fitting data base does not significantly change the result of the present calculation. Results of the fit, however, reveal the role of the S_{11}(1650), P_{11}(1710), P_{13}(1720), and P_{13}(1900) resonances for the description of the C_x and C_z data. A brief discussion on the importance of these resonances is given. Measurements of the polarized total cross section \sigma_{TT'} by the CLAS, LEPS, and MAMI collaborations are expected to verify this finding.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure

Electroproduction of kaons from the proton in a Regge-plus-resonance approach

We present a Regge-plus-resonance (RPR) description of the p(e,e'K^+)Y processes (Y=\Lambda,\Sigma^0) in the resonance region. The background contributions to the RPR amplitude are constrained by the high-energy p(\gamma, K^+)Y data. As a result, the number of free model parameters in the resonance region is considerably reduced compared to typical effective-Lagrangian approaches. We compare a selection of RPR model variants, originally constructed to describe $KY$ photoproduction, with the world electroproduction database. The electromagnetic form factors of the intermediate N^*s and $\Delta^*s are computed in the Bonn constituent-quark model. With this input, we find a reasonable description of the p(e,e'K^+)Y data without adding or readjusting any parameters. It is demonstrated that the electroproduction response functions are extremely useful for fine-tuning both the background and resonant contributions to the reaction dynamics.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures; added discussion on double counting in the RPR model; accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.

Search for medium modification of the ρ\rho meson

The photoproduction of vector mesons on various nuclei has been studied using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at Jefferson Laboratory. The vector mesons, $\rho$, $\omega$, and $\phi$, are observed via their decay to $e^+e^-$, in order to reduce the effects of final state interactions in the nucleus. Of particular interest are possible in-medium effects on the properties of the $\rho$ meson. The $\rho$ spectral function is extracted from the data on various nuclei, carbon, iron, and titanium, and compared to the spectrum from liquid deuterium, which is relatively free of nuclear effects. We observe no significant mass shift for the $\rho$ meson; however, there is some widening of the resonance in titanium and iron, which is consistent with expected collisional broadening.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure