Search Results (7 total)

We have measured the beam-normal single-spin asymmetry in elastic scattering of transversely polarized 3 GeV electrons from unpolarized protons at Q²=0.15, 0.25  (GeV/c)². The results are inconsistent with calculations solely using the elastic nucleon intermediate state and generally agree with calculations with significant inelastic hadronic intermediate state contributions. A_n provides a direct probe of the imaginary component of the 2γ exchange amplitude, the complete description of which is important in the interpretation of data from precision electron-scattering experiments.

Even at a continuous wave facility such as CEBAF at Jefferson Lab, an electron beam with long time intervals (tens of ns) between individual bunches can be useful, for example, to isolate sources of background via time of flight detection or to measure the energy of neutral particles that cannot be separated with a magnetic field. This paper describes a demonstrated method to quickly and easily deliver bunches with repetition rates of 20 to 100 MHz corresponding to time intervals between 50 and 10 ns (respectively). This is accomplished by changing the ON/OFF frequency of the photogun drive laser by a small amount (Δf/f<20%), resulting in a bunch frequency equal to the beat frequency between the radio frequencies of the drive laser and the photoinjector chopper system.

We report new measurements of the parity-violating asymmetry A_PV in elastic scattering of 3 GeV electrons off hydrogen and ⁴He targets with ⟨θ_lab⟩≈6.0°. The ⁴He result is A_PV=(+6.40±0.23(stat)±0.12(syst))×10^-6. The hydrogen result is A_PV=(-1.58±0.12(stat)±0.04(syst))×10^-6. These results significantly improve constraints on the electric and magnetic strange form factors G_E^s and G_M^s. We extract G_E^s=0.002±0.014±0.007 at ⟨Q²⟩=0.077  GeV², and G_E^s+0.09G_M^s=0.007±0.011±0.006 at ⟨Q²⟩=0.109  GeV², providing new limits on the role of strange quarks in the nucleon charge and magnetization distributions.

We have measured the parity-violating electroweak asymmetry in the elastic scattering of polarized electrons from ⁴He at an average scattering angle ⟨θ_lab⟩=5.7° and a four-momentum transfer Q²=0.091  GeV². From these data, for the first time, the strange electric form factor of the nucleon G_E^s can be isolated. The measured asymmetry of A_PV=(6.72±0.84_(stat)±0.21_(syst))×10^-6 yields a value of G_E^s=-0.038±0.042_(stat)±0.010_(syst), consistent with zero.

Strained-layer GaAs and strained-superlattice GaAs photocathodes are used at Jefferson Laboratory to create high average current beams of highly spin-polarized electrons. High electron yield, or quantum efficiency (QE), is obtained only when the photocathode surface is atomically clean. For years, exposure to atomic hydrogen or deuterium has been the photocathode cleaning technique employed at Jefferson Laboratory. This work demonstrates that atomic hydrogen cleaning is not necessary when precautions are taken to ensure that clean photocathode material from the vendor is not inadvertently dirtied while samples are prepared for installation inside photoemission guns. Moreover, this work demonstrates that QE and beam polarization can be significantly reduced when clean high-polarization photocathode material is exposed to atomic hydrogen from an rf dissociator-style atomic hydrogen source. Surface analysis provides some insight into the mechanisms that degrade QE and polarization due to atomic hydrogen cleaning.

We have measured parity-violating asymmetries in elastic electron-proton scattering over the range of momentum transfers 0.12≤Q²≤1.0  GeV². These asymmetries, arising from interference of the electromagnetic and neutral weak interactions, are sensitive to strange-quark contributions to the currents of the proton. The measurements were made at Jefferson Laboratory using a toroidal spectrometer to detect the recoiling protons from a liquid hydrogen target. The results indicate nonzero, Q² dependent, strange-quark contributions and provide new information beyond that obtained in previous experiments.

Precision measurements of the relative analyzing powers of five electron beam polarimeters, based on Compton, Møller, and Mott scattering, have been performed using the CEBAF accelerator at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Laboratory). A Wien filter in the 100 keV beam line of the injector was used to vary the electron spin orientation exiting the injector. High statistical precision measurements of the scattering asymmetry as a function of the spin orientation were made with each polarimeter. Since each polarimeter receives beam with the same magnitude of polarization, these asymmetry measurements permit a high statistical precision comparison of the relative analyzing powers of the five polarimeters. This is the first time a precise comparison of the analyzing powers of Compton, Møller, and Mott scattering polarimeters has been made. Statistically significant disagreements among the values of the beam polarization calculated from the asymmetry measurements made with each polarimeter reveal either errors in the values of the analyzing power or failure to correctly include all systematic effects. The measurements reported here represent a first step toward understanding the systematic effects of these electron polarimeters. Such studies are necessary to realize high absolute accuracy (ca. 1%) electron polarization measurements, as required for some parity violation measurements planned at Jefferson Laboratory. Finally, a comparison of the value of the spin orientation exiting the injector that provides maximum longitudinal polarization in each experimental hall leads to an independent and very precise (better than 10^-4) absolute measurement of the final electron beam energy.