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Farooq, M. [University of New Hampshire]

Publications and source records attributed to Farooq, M. [University of New Hampshire].

Measurement of the near-threshold 𝐽/𝜓 photoproduction cross section with the CLAS12 experiment

We present measurements of the total and differential cross sections for near-threshold 𝐽/𝜓 photoproduction obtained with the CLAS12 detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The results are based on data collected during the fall 2018 and spring 2019 running periods, using electron beams with energies of 10.6 and 10.2 GeV, respectively, scattered off a liquid-hydrogen target. Near-threshold 𝐽/𝜓 photoproduction offers a unique sensitivity to the strong interaction in the nonperturbative regime of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The energy dependence of the cross section constrains the underlying 𝐽/𝜓 production mechanisms, including multigluon exchange and potential baryonic excitations. Additionally, the 𝑡 dependence of the differential cross section can be related to the transverse spatial distribution of gluons in the proton, providing critical input for theoretical descriptions of the gluonic structure of the proton. An interpretation of the results in terms of the gluon content of the proton is presented, providing new experimental constraints on QCD-inspired models of the proton structure and the role of gluonic degrees of freedom in hadronic mass generation.

form factors↗

Longitudinal spin transfer to Λ hyperons in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering with the CLAS12 spectrometer

The polarization of Λ hyperons is preserved in the angular distribution of their decay products. This property allows one to study the spin structure of the Λ. In semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering where a high energy lepton interacts with a nucleon target and one or more hadrons and the scattered lepton are detected in the final state, the probability for a struck quark to impart the polarization of the lepton to the Λ may be measured. In particular, in electron-proton scattering this quantity may be related to the longitudinal light quark polarization of the Λ. Currently, limited experimental data cannot discriminate between different models of Λ spin structure. This work reports on the measurement of the longitudinal spin transfer 𝐷$^{Λ}_{𝐿⁢𝐿′}$ to the Λ using data taken by the CLAS12 spectrometer at Jefferson Lab with a 10.6 GeV longitudinally polarized electron beam and an unpolarized hydrogen target. This measurement is the most precise to date, and, in comparison with theory predictions, it offers valuable insight into the relative dominance of current and target fragmentation in Λ production.

deep inelastic scattering↗

Proton transparency and neutrino physics: New methods and modeling

Extracting accurate results from neutrino oscillation and cross section experiments requires accurate simulation of the neutrino-nucleus interaction. The rescattering of outgoing hadrons (final state interactions) by the rest of the nucleus is an important component of these interactions. We present a new measurement of proton transparency (defined as the fraction of outgoing protons that emerge without significant rescattering) using electron-nucleus scattering data recorded by the CLAS detector at Jefferson Laboratory on helium, carbon, and iron targets. This analysis uses a new data-driven method to extract the transparency. It defines transparency as the ratio of electron-scattering events with a detected proton to quasi-elastic electron-scattering events where a proton should have been knocked out. Our results are consistent with previous measurements that determined the transparency from the ratio of measured events to theoretically predicted events. We find that the GENIE event generator, which is widely used by oscillation experiments to simulate neutrino-nucleus interactions, needs to better describe both the nuclear ground state and proton rescattering in order to reproduce our measured transparency ratios, especially at lower proton momenta.

direct reactions↗

Measurement of beam-recoil observables 𝐶 𝑥 and 𝐶 𝑧 for 𝐾 + ⁢Λ photoproduction

Exclusive photoproduction of 𝐾 + ⁢Λ final states off a proton target has been an important component in the search for missing nucleon resonances and our understanding of the production of final states containing strange quarks. Polarization observables have been instrumental in this effort. The current work is an extension of previously published CLAS results on the beam-recoil transferred polarization observables 𝐶 𝑥 and 𝐶 𝑧 . Here, we extend the kinematic range up to invariant mass 𝑊 = 3.33 GeV from the previous limit of 𝑊 = 2.5 GeV with significantly improved statistical precision in the region of overlap. These data will provide for tighter constraints on the reaction models used to unravel the spectrum of nucleon resonances and their properties by not only improving the statistical precision of the data within the resonance region, but also constraining 𝑡-channel processes that dominate at higher 𝑊 but extend into the resonance region.

Electrons↗