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Kim, A. [University of Connecticut]

Publications and source records attributed to Kim, A. [University of Connecticut].

Polarization observables 𝑇 and 𝐹 in the π›Ύβ’π‘β†’πœ‹ 0 ⁒𝑝 reaction at CLAS

Pion photoproduction in the $\vec{Ξ³}$$\vec{p}$ β†’ Ο€ 0 p reaction has been measured in the FROzen Spin Target (FROST) experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. In this experiment, circularly polarized photons with energies up to 3.082 GeV impinged on a transversely polarized frozen-spin target. Final-state protons were detected in the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) Large Acceptance Spectrometer. The polarization observables T and F have been extracted for W from 1445 to 2525 MeV, of which the energy range is much broader, and the precision is better than the existing measurements in higher W ranges. The data generally agree with predictions of present partial-wave analyses but also show marked differences for higher W ranges. By incorporating the present data into the databases, the Scattering Analysis Interactive Data (SAID) fits have been improved with relatively small Ο‡ 2 and significant changes in the parameters of the (1910)1/2 + and N(2190)7/2 βˆ’ have been found with the JΓΌBo model.

particle production↗

Measurement of the near-threshold 𝐽/πœ“ photoproduction cross section with the CLAS12 experiment

We present measurements of the total and differential cross sections for near-threshold 𝐽/πœ“ 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/πœ“ 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/πœ“ production mechanisms, including multigluon exchange and potential baryonic excitations. Additionally, the 𝑑 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 Ξ› hyperons in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering with the CLAS12 spectrometer

The polarization of Ξ› hyperons is preserved in the angular distribution of their decay products. This property allows one to study the spin structure of the Ξ›. 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 Ξ› may be measured. In particular, in electron-proton scattering this quantity may be related to the longitudinal light quark polarization of the Ξ›. Currently, limited experimental data cannot discriminate between different models of Ξ› spin structure. This work reports on the measurement of the longitudinal spin transfer 𝐷$^{Ξ›}_{𝐿⁒𝐿′}$ to the Ξ› 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 Ξ› 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 𝐢 π‘₯ and 𝐢 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 𝐢 π‘₯ and 𝐢 𝑧 . Here, we extend the kinematic range up to invariant mass π‘Š = 3.33 GeV from the previous limit of π‘Š = 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 𝑑-channel processes that dominate at higher π‘Š but extend into the resonance region.

Electrons↗

Multidimensional measurements of beam single-spin asymmetries in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic charged-kaon electroproduction off protons in the valence region

Measurements of beam single-spin asymmetries in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic electron scattering (SIDIS) with positively charged kaons off protons have been performed with 10.6 and 10.2 GeV incident electron beams using the CLAS12 spectrometer at Jefferson Lab. We report an analysis of the electroproduction of positively charged kaons over a large kinematic range of fractional energy, Bjorken π‘₯, transverse momentum, and photon virtualities 𝑄 2 ranging from 1 GeV 2 up to 6 GeV 2 . This is the first published multidimensionally binned CLAS12 measurement of a kaon SIDIS single-spin asymmetry in the valence quark regime. The data provide constraints on the structure function ratio $𝐹^{sin \spaceπœ™}_{πΏβ’π‘ˆ}$⁑/$𝐹_{π‘ˆβ’π‘ˆ}$, where $𝐹^{sin \spaceπœ™}_{πΏβ’π‘ˆ}$ is a quantity with a leading twist of twist-3 that can reveal novel aspects of the quark-gluon correlations within the nucleon. The impact of the data on understanding the underlying reaction mechanisms and their kinematic variation is explored using theoretical models for the different contributing twist-3 parton-distribution functions (PDFs) and fragmentation functions (FFs).

form factors↗

Dihadron azimuthal correlations in deep-inelastic scattering off nuclear targets

We measured the nuclear dependence of the di-pion azimuthal correlation function in deepinelastic scattering (DIS) using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) and a 5 GeV electron beam. As the nuclear-target size increases, transitioning from deuterium to carbon, iron, and lead, the correlation function broadens monotonically. Its shape exhibits a significant dependence on kinematics, including the transverse momentum of the pions and the difference in their rapidity. None of the various Monte-Carlo event generators we evaluated could fully replicate the observed correlation functions and nuclear effects throughout the entire phase space. As the first study of its kind in DIS experiments, this research provides an important baseline for enhancing our understanding of the interplay between the nuclear medium and the hadronization process in these reactions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗