Parity-violating Asymmetry Research Articles

Light scalars with lepton number to solve the (g−2)e anomaly

Scalars that carry lepton number can help mediate would-be lepton-number-violating processes, such as neutrinoless double $\beta$ decay or lepton-scattering-mediated nucleon-antinucleon conversion. Here we show that such new scalars can also solve the anomaly in precision determinations of the fine-structure constant $\alpha$ from atom interferometry and from the electron's anomalous magnetic moment, $a_e \equiv (g-2)_e/2$, by reducing $|a_e|$. Study of the phenomenological constraints on these solutions favor a doubly-charged scalar with mass below the GeV scale. Significant constraints arise from the measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry in M{\o}ller scattering, and we consider the implications of the next-generation MOLLER experiment at Jefferson Laboratory and of an improved $a_e$ measurement.

First Precision Measurement of the Parity Violating Asymmetry in Cold Neutron Capture on ^{3}He.

We report the first precision measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry in the direction of proton momentum with respect to the neutron spin, in the reaction ^{3}He(n,p)^{3}H, using the capture of polarized cold neutrons in an unpolarized active ^{3}He target. The asymmetry is a result of the weak interaction between nucleons, which remains one of the least well-understood aspects of electroweak theory. The measurement provides an important benchmark for modern effective field theory and potential model calculations. Measurements like this are necessary to determine the spin-isospin structure of the hadronic weak interaction. Our asymmetry result is A_{PV}=[1.55±0.97(stat)±0.24(sys)]×10^{-8}, which has the smallest uncertainty of any hadronic parity-violating asymmetry measurement so far.

Beam parameter stabilization for the P2 experiment at MESA

The P2 Experiment at MESA (Mainz Energy-recovering Superconducting Accelerator) will measure the weak mixing angle via electron proton scattering at 155MeV. The expected measured parity violation asymmetry will be about 40ppb. This requires a high precision beam diagnostic and control system in order to minimize asymmetries that derive from helicity correlated fluctuations of the beam parameters. A control system for position and angle has been installed and tested at MAMI (Mainz Microtron) and the P2 precision requirements for determining the asymmetry and controlling the transverse beam parameters have been met.

Weak charge and weak radius of C12

We present a feasibility study of a simultaneous sub-percent extraction of the weak charge and the weak radius of the ${}^{12}$C nucleus using parity-violating electron scattering, based on a largely model-independent assessment of the uncertainties. The corresponding measurement is considered to be carried out at the future MESA facility in Mainz with $E_{\rm beam} = 155$ MeV. We find that a combination of a $0.3\%$ precise measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry at forward angles with a $10\%$ measurement at backward angles will allow to determine the weak charge and the weak radius of ${}^{12}$C with $0.4\%$ and $0.5\%$ precision, respectively. These values could be improved to $0.3\%$ and $0.2\%$ for a $3\%$ backward measurement. This experimental program will have impact on precision low-energy tests in the electroweak sector and nuclear structure.

Measurement of the {Lambda}_b^0 \u2192 J/\u03c8\u039b angular distribution and the {Lambda}_b^0 polarisation in pp collisions

This paper presents an analysis of the {Lambda}_b^0 → J/ψΛ angular distribution and the transverse production polarisation of {Lambda}_b^0 baryons in proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV. The measurements are performed using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 fb−1, collected with the LHCb experiment. The polarisation is determined in a fiducial region of {Lambda}_b^0 transverse momentum and pseudorapidity of 1 < pT< 20 GeV/c and 2 < η < 5, respectively. The data are consistent with {Lambda}_b^0 baryons being produced unpolarised in this region. The parity-violating asymmetry parameter of the Λ → pπ− decay is also determined from the data and its value is found to be consistent with a recent measurement by the BES III collaboration.

Parity-violating semi-inclusive deeply inelastic scattering at the Electron-Ion Collider

We present a systematic calculation of the current jet production semi-inclusive deeply inelastic scattering process at the Electron-Ion Collider energy. Contributions from weak interactions are considered which give rise to parity violating effects. We consider the general form of the polarized electron beam scattering off the polarized target which has spin 1. The calculations are carried out up to twist-3 level in the quantum chromodynamics parton model by applying the collinear expansion where multiple gluon scattering is taken into account and gauge links are obtained automatically. We present complete results for structure functions and spin/azimuthal asymmetries in terms of the gauge invariant transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions. Both the unpolarized and the polarized electron beam cases correspond to 24 azimuthal asymmetries, in which 6 of them appear at the leading twist, while 18 of them contribute at twist-3 level. In addition we also calculate the parity-violating asymmetries which arise from the interference of the electromagnetic and weak interactions.

Parity-violating inelastic electron-proton scattering at low Q2 above the resonance region

We report the measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry for the inelastic scattering of electrons from the proton, at $Q^2 = 0.082$ GeV$^2$ and $ W = 2.23$ GeV, above the resonance region. The result $A_{\rm Inel} = - 13.5 \pm 2.0 ({\rm stat}) \pm 3.9 ({\rm syst})$~ppm agrees with theoretical calculations, and helps to validate the modeling of the $\gamma Z$ interference structure functions $F_1^{\gamma Z}$ and $F_2^{\gamma Z}$ used in those calculations, which are also used for determination of the two-boson exchange box diagram ($\Box_{\gamma Z}$) contribution to parity-violating elastic scattering measurements. A positive parity-violating asymmetry for inclusive $\pi^-$ production was observed, as well as positive beam-normal single-spin asymmetry for scattered electrons and a negative beam-normal single-spin asymmetry for inclusive $\pi^-$ production.

Dispersive corrections in elastic electron-nucleus scattering: an investigation in the intermediate energy regime and their impact on the nuclear matter

Measurements of elastic electron scattering data within the past decade have highlighted two-photon exchange contributions as a necessary ingredient in theoretical calculations to precisely evaluate hydrogen elastic scattering cross sections. This correction can modify the cross section at the few percent level. In contrast, dispersive effects can cause significantly larger changes from the Born approximation. The purpose of this experiment is to extract the carbon-12 elastic cross section around the first diffraction minimum, where the Born term contributions to the cross section are small to maximize the sensitivity to dispersive effects. The analysis uses the LEDEX data from the high resolution Jefferson Lab Hall A spectrometers to extract the cross sections near the first diffraction minimum of 12C at beam energies of 362 MeV and 685 MeV. The results are in very good agreement with previous world data, although with less precision. The average deviation from a static nuclear charge distribution expected from linear and quadratic fits indicate a 30.6% contribution of dispersive effects to the cross section at 1 GeV. The magnitude of the dispersive effects near the first diffraction minimum of 12C has been confirmed to be large with a strong energy dependence and could account for a large fraction of the magnitude for the observed quenching of the longitudinal nuclear response. These effects could also be important for nuclei radii extracted from parity-violating asymmetries measured near a diffraction minimum.

NLO radiative corrections for forward-backward and left-right asymmetries at a B -factory

This paper presents the first calculations of the parity-violating polarization asymmetry and forward-backward asymmetry of the $e^- e^+ \rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^- (\gamma)$ process at a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV with up to one-loop electroweak radiative corrections. The calculations are relevant for future precision electroweak measurements at the Belle~II experiment, which is now collecting data at the SuperKEKB $e^- e^+$ collider with a center-of-mass energy at the mass of the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance. In this paper we take under full control the bremsstrahlung process at the conditions of Belle II/SuperKEKB, and the possibilities for a soft photon approach are discussed. The scale of the obtained relative corrections to the parity-violating and forward-backward asymmetries is significant and the scattering angle dependencies of the asymmetries is non-trivial. As an additional validation cross-check using an independent formulation, the calculated asymmetries are compared to results from the KK Monte Carlo generator.

Nucleon spin structure and measurements on sea quark polarization at RHIC

The nucleon spin structure in terms of its parton constituents is a fundamental question in QCD. The sea quark contribution to the nucleon spin is an important piece for a complete understanding of the nucleon spin structure. The production of W bosons in longitudinally polarized proton-proton collisions at RHIC provides a unique probe for the sea quark polarization, through the parity-violating single-spin asymmetry A L = ( σ + − σ − ) / ( σ + + σ − ) . At RHIC, W ’s can be detected via the leptonic channel W → e ν with the kinematics of the decay lepton alone. Longitudinally polarized proton-proton collision events at s =500 GeV were recorded at RHIC through the years 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Both STAR and PHENIX experiments completed their measurements on longitudinal single spin asymmetries for W bosons as a function of decay lepton rapidity. These results provide new constraints on sea quark polarizations through the QCD global analyses, which clearly indicate the existence of a flavor asymmetry in the polarization of the light-quark sea, Δ u ¯ > Δ d ¯ , in the proton for parton momentum fraction range of 0.05 x d ¯ > u ¯ over a wide x range has been observed. On the other hand, the phenomenological studies showed that the spin transfer to Λ ¯ anti-hyperons provides a natural connection to helicity or transversity distributions of strange and anti-strange quarks in the proton. STAR experiment made the first and an improved measurement on the longitudinal spin transfer D LL to Λ and Λ ¯ hyperons in longitudinally polarized proton-proton collisions at 200 GeV. STAR also completed the first measurement on transverse spin transfer D LL to Λ and Λ ¯ hyperons in transversely polarized proton-proton collisions at 200 GeV. These data and future measurements with higher precision and larger momentum fraction in the forward region at RHIC will shed new lights on the polarized parton distributions for strange and anti-strange quark in the nucleon.

Doubly-charged scalars in the type II seesaw mechanism: Fundamental symmetry tests and high-energy searches

We analyze the sensitivity of low-energy fundamental symmetry tests to interactions mediated by doubly-charged scalars that arise in type II seesaw models of neutrino mass and their left-right symmetric extensions. We focus on the next generation measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry in M\o{}ller scattering planned by the MOLLER collaboration at Jefferson Laboratory. We compare the MOLLER sensitivity to that of searches for charged lepton flavor violation (CLFV) and neutrinoless double beta-decay ($0\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\beta}$-decay) as well as present and possible future high-energy collider probes. We show that for the simplest type-II seesaw scenario, CLFV searches have the greatest sensitivity. However, in a left-right symmetric extension where the scale of parity-breaking is decoupled from the $SU(2{)}_{R}$-breaking scale, the MOLLER experiment will provide a unique probe of scalar triplet interactions in the right-handed sector for a doubly-charged scalar mass up to $\ensuremath{\sim}10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$ and help elucidate the mechanism of $0\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\beta}$-decay.

Monte Carlo calculation and verification of the geometrical factors for the NPDGamma experiment

The NPDGamma experiment measures the parity-violating asymmetry in γ-ray emission in the capture of polarized neutrons on liquid parahydrogen. The sensitivity to the asymmetry for each detector in the array is used as a parameter in the extraction of the physics asymmetry from the measured data. The detector array is approximately cylindrically symmetric around the target and a step-wise sinusoidal function has been used for the sensitivity in the previous iteration of the NPDGamma experiment, but deviations from cylindrical symmetry necessitate the use of a Monte Carlo model to determine corrections to the geometrical factors. For the calculations, source code modifications to MCNPX were done in order to calculate the sensitivity of each cesium iodide detector to the physics asymmetry. We describe the MCNPX model and results from calculations and how the results are validated through measurement of the parity violating asymmetry of γ-rays from neutron capture on chlorine.

Precision measurement of the weak charge of the proton.

Large experimental programmes in the fields of nuclear and particle physics search for evidence of physics beyond that explained by current theories. The observation of the Higgs boson completed the set of particles predicted by the standard model, which currently provides the best description of fundamental particles and forces. However, this theory's limitations include a failure to predict fundamental parameters, such as the mass of the Higgs boson, and the inability to account for dark matter and energy, gravity, and the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe, among other phenomena. These limitations have inspired searches for physics beyond the standard model in the post-Higgs era through the direct production of additional particles at high-energy accelerators, which have so far been unsuccessful. Examples include searches for supersymmetric particles, which connect bosons (integer-spin particles) with fermions (half-integer-spin particles), and for leptoquarks, which mix the fundamental quarks with leptons. Alternatively, indirect searches using precise measurements of well predicted standard-model observables allow highly targeted alternative tests for physics beyond the standard model because they can reach mass and energy scales beyond those directly accessible by today's high-energy accelerators. Such an indirect search aims to determine the weak charge of the proton, which defines the strength of the proton's interaction with other particles via the well known neutral electroweak force. Because parity symmetry (invariance under the spatial inversion (x, y, z) → (-x, -y, -z)) is violated only in the weak interaction, it provides a tool with which to isolate the weak interaction and thus to measure the proton's weak charge 1 . Here we report the value 0.0719 ± 0.0045, where the uncertainty is one standard deviation, derived from our measured parity-violating asymmetry in the scattering of polarized electrons on protons, which is -226.5 ± 9.3 parts per billion (the uncertainty is one standard deviation). Our value for the proton's weak charge is in excellent agreement with the standard model 2 and sets multi-teraelectronvolt-scale constraints on any semi-leptonic parity-violating physics not described within the standard model. Our results show that precision parity-violating measurements enable searches for physics beyond the standard model that can compete with direct searches at high-energy accelerators and, together with astronomical observations, can provide fertile approaches to probing higher mass scales.

Study of light backgrounds from relativistic electrons in air light-guides

The MOLLER experiment proposed at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility plans a precision low energy determination of the weak mixing angle via the measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry in the scattering of high energy longitudinally polarized electrons from electrons bound in a liquid hydrogen target (Møller scattering). A relative measure of the scattering rate is planned to be obtained by intercepting the Møller scattered electrons with a circular array of thin fused silica tiles attached to air light guides, which facilitate the transport of Cherenkov photons generated within the tiles to photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). The scattered flux will also pass through the light guides of downstream tiles, generating additional Cherenkov as well as scintillation light and is a potential background. In order to estimate the rate of these backgrounds, a gas-filled tube detector was designed and deployed in an electron beam at the MAMI facility at Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. Described in this paper is the design of a detector to measure separately the scintillation and Cherenkov responses of gas mixtures from relativistic electrons, the results of studies of several gas mixtures with comparisons to simulations, and conclusions about the implications for the design of the MOLLER detector apparatus.

Measurement of the Λb polarization and angular parameters in Λb→J/ψΛ decays from pp collisions at s=7 and 8 TeV

An analysis of the decay $\Lambda_b \to J/\psi(\to\mu^+\mu^-)\Lambda(\to p \pi^-)$ decay is performed to measure the $\Lambda_b$ polarization and three angular parameters in data from pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 7 and 8 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The $\Lambda_b$ polarization is measured to be 0.00 $\pm$ 0.06 (stat) $\pm$ 0.06 (syst) and the parity-violating asymmetry parameter is determined to be 0.14 $\pm$ 0.14 (stat) $\pm$ 0.10 (syst). The measurements are compared to various theoretical predictions, including those from perturbative quantum chromodynamics.

Future DUNE constraints on EFT

In the near future, fundamental interactions at high-energy scales may be most efficiently studied via precision measurements at low energies. A universal language to assemble and interpret precision measurements is the so-called SMEFT, which is an effective field theory (EFT) where the Standard Model (SM) Lagrangian is extended by higher-dimensional operators. In this paper we investigate the possible impact of the DUNE neutrino experiment on constraining the SMEFT. The unprecedented neutrino flux offers an opportunity to greatly improve the current limits via precision measurements of the trident production and neutrino scattering off electrons and nuclei in the DUNE near detector. We quantify the DUNE sensitivity to dimension-6 operators in the SMEFT Lagrangian, and find that in some cases operators suppressed by an mathcal{O}(30) TeV scale can be probed. We also compare the DUNE reach to that of future experiments involving atomic parity violation and polarization asymmetry in electron scattering, which are sensitive to an overlapping set of SMEFT parameters.

Low and high energy asymptotic behavior of electroweak corrections in polarized e–e+ → μ–μ+ process

Electroweak radiative corrections will play a major role in the analysis of several upcoming ultra-precision experiments, such as Belle-II, so it is crucial to make sure that they are fully under control. This article outlines the recent developments in the theoretical and computational approaches to one-loop (NLO) electroweak radiative corrections to the parity-violating asymmetry in e–e+ → μ–μ+(γ) process with longitudinally polarized electrons. We derive asymptotic expressions for low and high energy regions (well below or above Z-resonance, correspondingly) and analyze the leading contributions. For most energy regions, our results are in good agreement with precise computer-algebra-based calculation and can be used as a quicker alternative.

Neutral-current weak interactions at an EIC

A simulation study of measurements of neutral current structure functions of the nucleon at the future high-energy and high-luminosity polarized electron-ion collider (EIC) is presented. A new series of $\gamma-Z$ interference structure functions, $F_1^{\gamma Z}$, $F_3^{\gamma Z}$, $g_1^{\gamma Z}$, $g_5^{\gamma Z}$ become accessible via parity-violating asymmetries in polarized electron-nucleon deep inelastic scattering (DIS). Within the context of the quark-parton model, they provide a unique and, in some cases, yet-unmeasured combination of unpolarized and polarized parton distribution functions. The uncertainty projections for these structure functions using electron-proton collisions are considered for various EIC beam energy configurations. Also presented are uncertainty projections for measurements of the weak mixing angle $\sin^2 \theta_W$ using electron-deuteron collisions which cover a much higher $Q^2$ than that is accessible in fixed target measurements. QED and QCD radiative corrections and effects of detector smearing are included with the calculations.

Qweak: First Direct Measurement of the Proton’s Weak Charge

The Q weak experiment, which took data at Jefferson Lab in the period 2010 - 2012, will precisely determine the weak charge of the proton by measuring the parity-violating asymmetry in elastic e-p scattering at 1.1 GeV using a longitudinally polarized electron beam and a liquid hydrogen target at a low momentum transfer of Q 2 = 0.025 (GeV/c)2 . The weak charge of the proton is predicted by the Standard Model and any significant deviation would indicate physics beyond the Standard Model. The technical challenges and experimental apparatus for measuring the weak charge of the proton will be discussed, as well as the method of extracting the weak charge of the proton. The results from a small subset of the data, that has been published, will also be presented. Furthermore an update will be given of the current status of the data analysis.

Parameterization-based tracking for the P2 experiment

The P2 experiment in Mainz aims to determine the weak mixing angle θW at low momentum transfer by measuring the parity-violating asymmetry of elastic electronproton scattering. In order to achieve the intended precision of Δ(sin2 θW )/sin2 θW = 0:13% within the planned 10 000 hours of running the experiment has to operate at the rate of 1011 detected electrons per second. Although it is not required to measure the kinematic parameters of each individual electron, every attempt is made to achieve the highest possible throughput in the track reconstruction chain.In the present work a parameterization-based track reconstruction method is described. It is a variation of track following, where the results of the computation-heavy steps, namely the propagation of a track to the further detector plane, and the fitting, are pre-calculated, and expressed in terms of parametric analytic functions. This makes the algorithm extremely fast, and well-suited for an implementation on an FPGA.The method also takes implicitly into account the actual phase space distribution of the tracks already at the stage of candidate construction. Compared to a simple algorithm, that does not use such information, this allows reducing the combinatorial background by many orders of magnitude, down to O (1) background candidate per one signal track. The method is developed specifically for the P2 experiment in Mainz, and the presented implementation is tightly coupled to the experimental conditions.