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Revisiting gauge invariance and Reggeization of pion exchange
The Reggeized pion is expected to provide the main contribution to the forward cross section in light meson photoproduction reactions with charge exchange at high energies. We discuss the Reggeization of pion exchange in charged pion photoproduction with an emphasis on consistency with current conservation. We show that the gauge-invariant amplitude for the exchange of a particle with a generic even spin J ≥ 2 in the t channel is analytic at J = 0 and that it can be interpreted in terms of the nucleon electric current. This enables us to reconcile the dynamics in the s and u channel, which involves also nucleon exchanges, with the amplitude expressed in terms of t -channel partial waves, as required by Regge theory. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Threshold $\pi ^-$ photoproduction on the neutron
Recent data from the PIONS@MAX-lab Collaboration, measuring the total cross section of the incoherent pion photoproduction reaction, γd → π – pp, near threshold, have been used to extract the E 0+ multipole and total cross section of the reaction γn → π – p, also near threshold. These are the first measurements of the reaction γd → π – pp in the threshold region. The value of E 0+ is extracted through a fit to the deuteron data in a photoproduction model accounting for final-state interactions. The model takes an S-wave approximation for the elementary reaction γn → π – p with E 0+ = const in the threshold region. The fit over all the 6 deuteron data points gives the value E 0+ = –31.86 ± 0.8 (in units 10 –3 /mπ). We explore the dependence of our results on the choice of data subsets included in the fit. Here, the obtained values of E 0+ , for different subsets, have overlapping errors and agree with previous determinations.
Shining a Light on the Nucleus: Photonuclear Measurements from Correlations to Charmonium
The atomic nucleus is comprised of a collection of nucleons (protons and neutrons), which are bound together by the nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction that originates from Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). While most nucleons experience the force from the rest of the nu- cleus as a single net “mean-field” interaction that binds them relatively weakly, a small but impactful fraction are in configurations called “Short-Range Correlations” (SRCs), in which they pair with another nucleon at very short distance to experience strong interactions, sig- nificant binding, and high momentum. Hard, high-energy scattering reactions in which an SRC pair is broken apart, knocking both nucleons out of the nucleus, provide the ability to probe the details of these SRC configurations in the nucleus. Previous measurements have had limited statistics and kinematic reach, and the theoretical tools available were in- sufficient to draw quantitative conclusions regarding the ground-state properties of SRCs. The studies described in this thesis represent the first global analysis of SRC breakup mea- surements in order to present a unified picture of SRCs within light- to medium-size nuclei. This includes the use of a novel theoretical framework, the Generalized Contact Formalism, which connects scattering cross-section measurements and the ground-state properties of the SRC pair, to quantitatively interpret a variety of electron-scattering measurements. This is brought to culmination by a report on the first measurement of SRC pairs via the use of hard meson photoproduction reactions, which, despite differing significantly from the me- chanics of electron-scattering, is well-described under a common framework, pointing to a consistent and universal picture of SRCs across reaction channels. I also report on the first measurement of J/¿ photoproduction in the near- and below-threshold kinematic region, giving the first insights to the gluonic structure of bound nucleons in the large-x “valence” region and providing constraints on a gluonic “EMC effect”. In addition to these studies, I provide details on the search for Primakoff production of axion-like particles using the pho- toproduction data taken for this experiment, and I conclude by describing studies of nucleon spin structure measurements that will be performed at the forthcoming U.S. Electron-Ion Collider.
Inclusion of $K\Lambda $ electroproduction data in a coupled channel analysis
Exclusive electroproduction reactions provide an access to the structure of excited baryons. To extract electroproduction multipoles encoding this information, the Julich-Bonn-Washington (JBW) analysis framework is extended to the analysis of differential cross sections in KΛ electroproduction. Here this update enlarges the scope of previous coupled-channel analyses of pions and eta mesons, with photoproduction reactions as boundary condition in all analyzed electroproduction reactions. Polarization observables are predicted and compared to recent CLAS data. The comparison shows the relevance of these data to pin down baryon properties.
The GlueX beamline and detector
The GlueX experiment at Jefferson Lab has been designed to study photoproduction reactions with a 9-GeV linearly polarized photon beam. The energy and arrival time of beam photons are tagged using a scintillator hodoscope and a scintillating fiber array. The photon flux is determined using a pair spectrometer, while the linear polarization of the photon beam is determined using a polarimeter based on triplet photoproduction. Charged-particle tracks from interactions in the central target are analyzed in a solenoidal field using a central straw-tube drift chamber and six packages of planar chambers with cathode strips and drift wires. Electromagnetic showers are reconstructed in a cylindrical scintillating fiber calorimeter inside the magnet and a lead-glass array downstream. Charged particle identification is achieved by measuring energy loss in the wire chambers and using the flight time of particles between the target and detectors outside the magnet. The signals from all detectors are recorded with flash ADCs and/or pipeline TDCs into memories allowing trigger decisions with a latency of 3.3 $μs$. The detector operates routinely at trigger rates of 40 kHz and data rates of 600 megabytes per second. Here, we describe the photon beam, the GlueX detector components, electronics, data-acquisition and monitoring systems, and the performance of the experiment during the first three years of operation.
Measurement of spin density matrix elements in Λ ( 1520 ) photoproduction at 8.2–8.8 GeV
We report on the measurement of spin density matrix elements of the $\Lambda(1520)$ in the photoproduction reaction $\gamma p\rightarrow \Lambda(1520)K^+$, via its subsequent decay to $K^{-}p$. The measurement was performed as part of the GlueX experimental program in Hall D at Jefferson Lab using a linearly polarized photon beam with $E_\gamma =$ 8.2-8.8 GeV. These are the first such measurements in this photon energy range. Results are presented in bins of momentum transfer squared, $-(t-t_\text{0})$. We compare the results with a Reggeon exchange model and determine that natural exchange amplitudes are dominant in $\Lambda(1520)$ photoproduction.
Measurement of spin-density matrix elements in Δ ++ (1232) photoproduction
We measure the spin-density matrix elements (SDMEs) of the Δ ++ (1232) in the photoproduction reaction γp → π - Δ ++ (1232) with the GlueX experiment in Hall D at Jefferson Lab. The measurement uses a linearly–polarized photon beam with energies from 8.2 to 8.8 GeV and the statistical precision of the SDMEs exceeds the previous measurement by three orders of magnitude for the momentum transfer squared region below 1.4 GeV2. The data are sensitive to the previously undetermined relative sign between couplings in existing Regge-exchange models. Linear combinations of the extracted SDMEs allow for a decomposition into natural and unnatural–exchange amplitudes. We find that the unnatural exchange plays an important role in the low momentum transfer region.
Installation and Commissioning of the GLUEX DIRC
The GlueX experiment takes place in experimental Hall D at Jefferson Lab (JLab). With a linearly polarized photon beam of up to 12 GeV energy, GlueX is a dedicated experiment to search for hybrid mesons via photoproduction reactions. The low-intensity (Phase I) of GlueX was recently completed; the high-intensity (Phase II) started in 2020 including an upgraded particle identification system, known as the DIRC (Detection of Internally Reflected Cherenkov light), utilizing components from the decommissioned BaBar experiment. The identification and separation of the kaon final states will significantly enhance the GlueX physics program, by adding the capability of accessing the strange quark flavor content of conventional (and potentially hybrid) mesons. Here, we report that the installation and commissioning of the DIRC detector has been successfully completed.
Meson Spectroscopy at CLAS and CLAS12: an overview of selected results
Hadron spectroscopy is a valuable tool to experimentally investigate the low-energy, non-perturbative QCD regime, corresponding to the dominant manifestation of the strong force in Nature, in terms of hadrons that constitute the bulk of the visible mass of the Universe. In particular, the measurement of the mesons spectrum, searching for exotic states not compatible with the Quark Model, would provide access to the gluonic degrees of freedom that bind particles together. A broad program to study meson spectroscopy in the light quark sector started at Jefferson Laboratory during the previous 6-GeV period. The CLAS experiment in Hall B used a Bremmstrahlung tagged photon beam impinging on a proton target to provide the first measurement of many photoproduction reactions. Currently, in the 12-GeV era, the MesonEx experiment continues this physics effort, exploiting the larger beam energy and intensity. MesonEx employs low-Q2 electron scattering as a technique to produce an intense and highly energetic quasi-real photon beam. In the experiment, the low-angle scattered electron is measured in a dedicated detector, the Forward Tagger, in coincidence with final state hadrons measured in the CLAS12 spectrometer. In this talk, after discussing some selected results from the CLAS program, I'll present the ongoing MesonEx experiment, showing some preliminary results.
Photoproduction of Cascade Baryons Using the GlueX Detector at Jefferson Laboratory
Multi-strange baryons have played an important role in understanding the strong interaction. Despite their importance to advancing quantum chromodynamics (QCD), little is known about such hyperons due to the lack of a strange probe. Almost all knowledge of Cascade baryons today stems from kaon-nucleon interactions in bubble chamber experiments performed in the 1960s and 1970s. The 1980s saw advancement in electronics and computational resources allowing for higher statistic experiments such as the MultiParticle Spectrometer (MPS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. From these previous experiments, the octet and decuplet ground states, Xi(1320) and Xi(1530) respectively, were well established with known properties and four excited states were well established. This research uses the GlueX experiment at Jefferson Laboratory to extend photoproduction cross section measurements for Xi(1320)- to higher beam energies to further understand the production mechanism, as well as to search for the first excited Cascade resonance observation in photoproduction through the decay Xi-* -> K-Lambda. The GlueX Spectrometer is a nearly hermetic detector used to study exclusive photoproduction reactions with photon beam energies up to 12 GeV. The first phase of GlueX running has recently been completed. Preliminary results for the total cross section and differential cross sections in terms of momentum transfer -t are shown within. Additionally, the first observation of an excited Cascade baryon, in particular Xi(1820)-, is shown.
DOUBLY-STRANGE BARYON SPECTROSCOPY WITH THE GLUEX EXPERIMENT: GROUND STATE ¿(1320) PHOTOPRODUCTION CROSS SECTION AND PROPERTIES
In the light-quark sector, traditional quark models and, more recently, lattice QCD calculations have predicted many more baryon states than have been experimentally observed. The hyperons, baryons with strange-quark content, in particular abundantly lack these observed states, and past observations are statistically limited. For multi-strange hyperons the matter is much worse and the production mechanisms of these states in photoproduction are very poorly understood. By capitalizing on the narrow peaks, as compared to the broad and overlapping N* and ¿* states, characteristic of the lowest lying ¿ resonances, the systematic aspects of the spectrum can be analyzed. In addition, we can measure experimental observables such as the production cross section to study the production mechanisms of the ¿ resonances. By accumulating various experimental observables, this goal could be accomplished through Partial Wave Analysis (PWA). The main body of work presented in this dissertation is the physics analysis and systematic study of the production cross section for the doubly strange octet ground state baryon (¿(1320)) in the exclusive t-channel photoproduction reaction ¿p ¿ K+Y* ¿ K+(K+¿-)Y* where ¿- ¿ ¿p- and ¿ ¿ pp-. The spin quantum number of ¿(1320) is also extracted and discussed. A preliminary result to extract the mass of ¿(1320) is also explored as a result of the statistical limitations of current measurements. Furthermore, the spectrum of the excited ¿* baryons are explored and discussed in the ¿*- ¿ K-¿ decay channel. The studies on the ground state and excited ¿ baryon are performed using the GlueX Phase-I (GlueX-I) data set. We have extracted differential cross sections from seven beam photon energy bins for E¿ ¿ [6.4,11.4] GeV1 and for -t < 2.4 GeV2 in the production of K+Y*. 1Natural units (c = 1) are used for the entire body of work.
Dynamical coupled-channel models for hadron dynamics
Dynamical coupled-channel (DCC) approaches parametrize the interactions and dynamics of two and more hadrons and their response to different electroweak probes. The inclusion of unitarity, three-body channels, and other properties from scattering theory allows for a reliable extraction of resonance spectra and their properties from data. Here, we review the formalism and application of the ANL-Osaka, the Juelich-Bonn-Washington, and other DCC approaches in the context of light baryon resonances from meson, (virtual) photon, and neutrino-induced reactions, as well as production reactions, strange baryons, light mesons, heavy meson systems, exotics, and baryon-baryon interactions. Finally, we also provide a connection of the formalism to study finite-volume spectra obtained in Lattice QCD, and review applications involving modern statistical and machine learning tools.
Polarization observables 𝑇 and 𝐹 in the 𝛾𝑝→𝜋 0 𝑝 reaction at CLAS
Pion photoproduction in the $\vec{γ}$$\vec{p}$ → π 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 χ 2 and significant changes in the parameters of the (1910)1/2 + and N(2190)7/2 − have been found with the JüBo model.
Exploring the gravitational structure of the proton with the dilepton final state using the CLAS12 detector at Jefferson Lab
The Gravitational Form Factors (GFFs) give access to the internal distributions of mass, pressure and shear force inside the proton. They were considered experimentally unmeasurable for decades due to the very weak gravitational interaction [1]. However, the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs), which describe the correlations between the longitudinal momentum and the transverse position of the partons inside the nucleon, have lately been related to the GFFs. For the first time, this relation gives the opportunity to extract GFFs experimentally. In this talk, I will present two ways to access GFFs using data taken in 2018 by the CLAS12 detector with a 10.6 GeV electron beam impinging on a liquid-hydrogen target. First, I will present the first measurement of the Timelike Compton Scattering reaction (the hard photoproduction of a lepton pair), that gives access to the quark GFFs via the angular asymmetry of the electron/positron pair [2]. I will then present the current effort to extract the near-threshold J/? photoproduction cross section using the same dataset. This later measurement is expected to provide direct insight on the gluons GFFs of the proton. [1] H. PAGELS. Energy-Momentum Structure Form Factors of Particles. Phys.Rev. 144 (1966) 1250-1260 [2] P. Chatagnon. First Measurement of Timelike Compton Scattering. Phys.Rev.Lett. 127 (2021) 26, 262501
Scattering Observables from Few-Body Densities and Compton Scattering on $^6$Li
The dynamics of scattering on light nuclei is numerically expensive using standard methods. Fortunately, recent developments allow one to factor the relevant quantities for a given probe into a convolution of an n -body Transition Density Amplitude (TDA) and the interaction kernel for a given probe. These TDAs depend only on the target, and not the probe; they are calculated once for each set of kinematics and can be used for different interactions.\ % in the same kinematics. The kernels depend only on the probe, and not on the target; they can be reused for different targets and different kinematics. The calculation of TDAs becomes numerically difficult for more than four nucleons, but we discuss a new solution through the use of a Similarity Renormalization Group transformation, and a subsequent back-transformation. This technique allows for extending the TDA method to heavier nuclei such as 6 Li. We present preliminary results for Compton scattering on 6 Li and compare with available data, anticipating an upcoming, more thorough study. We also discuss ongoing extensions to pion-photoproduction and other reactions on light nuclei.
UV and VUV spectroscopy and photochemistry of small molecules in a supersonic jet
UV and VUV absorption and emission spectroscopy is used to probe jet cooled molecules, free radicals, and clusters in the gas phase. Due to efficient cooling inhomogeneous effects on spectral line widths are eliminated. Therefore from these spectra, both structural and dynamical information is obtained. The photoproducts of these reactions are probed by resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization.
Reggeization of the Pion Exchange in Pion Photoproduction
At high energies, the production of light mesons induced by a photon beam interacting with a nucleon target is governed by the exchange of Regge trajectories in the t-channel. In charge-exchange reactions at small momentum transfer, unnatural parity exchanges, such as pion exchange, dominate. The point-like nature of the photon–pion interaction makes the pion photoproduction reaction an excellent way to study the pion exchange mechanism. However, the nucleon Born terms are required to ensure that the scattering amplitude is gauge invariant. The gauge invariance of the pion exchange amplitude is crucial in approaching its reggeization properly. Here we discuss a novel strategy to reggeize the pion pole which considers explicitly the exchange in the t-channel of all the mesons in the pion trajectory. Each of these exchanges contributes with a pole in spin, known as a Regge pole, and we perform their summation analytically.