Nuclear physics aspects involved in studies of low-Q parity-violating electron scattering from nuclei

Abstract

The parity-violating asymmetry in polarized electron scattering from nuclei can be used to extract information on nuclear and nucleon structure, as well as to determine the values of Standard Model electroweak couplings. To achieve the latter, high precision is needed both in the measured asymmetry and in the underlying nuclear structure theory. For the former a few tenths of a percent may be attainable; for the latter the present discussions have the dual goal of ascertaining both the sizes of various nuclear structure related effects and of providing estimates of their uncertainties.