Parity Violation in Forward Angle Elastic Electron-Proton Scattering

Abstract

We have measured the parity-violating electroweak asymmetry in the elastic scattering of polarized electrons from the proton at Jefferson Laboratory. The kinematic point ({theta}_lab = 12.3 deg. and (Q^2) = 0.48 (GeV/c)^2) is chosen to provide sensitivity to the strange electric form factor G^s_E. A 3.36 GeV beam of longitudinally polarized electrons was scattered from protons in a liquid hydrogen target. The scattered flux was detected by a pair of spectrometers which focussed the elastically-scattered electrons onto total-absorption detectors. The detector signals were integrated and digitized by a custom data acquisition system. A feedback system reduced systematic errors by controlling helicity-correlated beam intensity differences at the sub-ppm (part per million) level. The experimental result, A = 14.5 +/- 2.0 (stat) +/- 1.1 (syst) ppm, is consistent with the electroweak Standard Model with no additional contributions from strange quarks. In particular, the measurement implies G^S_E + 0.39 G^s_M = 0.023 +/- 0.040 +/- 0.026 ({delta}G^n_E), where the last uncertainty is due to the estimated uncertainty in the neutron electric form factor G^n_E . This result represents the first experimental constraint of the strange electric form factor.