Nucleon electromagnetic form factors and proton charge radius

Abstract

Nucleon electromagnetic form factors are fundamental quantities related to the charge and current distribution inside the nucleon. They have been studied in the past using unpolarized electron scattering. With the development in polarized beam and polarized target technologies, polarization experiments have provided more precise data on these quantities. In this talk, I review the recent progress on this subject from polarized electron scattering experiments and provide some future outlook. I also discuss the planned high precision measurement of the proton charge radius at the MIT-Bates Laboratory.