Photoproduction Experiment Research Articles

Spin Asymmetries and Helicity Amplitudes in Photo-Production from Polarized Neutrons

Pseudoscalar meson photoproduction experiments lead the search for an expanded $$N^*$$ spectroscopy that is required by lattice solutions of QCD. Extensive data have been collected with proton targets that can potentially over-determine the production amplitude and allow a search for weak resonances. In contrast, data on photoproduction from neutrons is drastically limited. Both are needed since the $$\gamma p N^*$$ and $$\gamma n N^*$$ photo-couplings to $$I=1/2$$ states are different and provide complementary information on the mechanisms for resonance excitation. The main subtleties in experiments with an effective polarized neutron target are reviewed. The considerable impact of new polarization data on multipole analyses are discussed, using the example of recent $$\pi ^- p$$ measurements of the beam-target helicity asymmetry (E) from polarized $${ HD}$$ in CLAS at Jefferson Lab. New partial wave analyses incorporating these data have found significant changes in helicity amplitudes of some established resonances, and signatures of weak resonances that previously were observed only in hyperon decay channels.

Studying the $$P_c(4450)$$ Resonance in $$J/\psi $$ Photoproduction Off Protons

The LHCb has reported the observation of a resonancelike structure, the Pc(4450), in the J/psi p invariant masses. In our work, we discuss the feasibility of detecting this structure in J/psi photoproduction, e.g. in the measurements that have been approved for the experiments in Hall A/C and in Hall B with CLAS12 at JLab. Also the GlueX Collaboration has already reported preliminary results. We take into account the experimental resolution effects, and perform a global fit to world J/psi photoproduction data in order to study the possibility of observing the Pc(4450) signal in future JLab data. We present a first estimate of the upper limit for the branching ratio of the Pc(4450) into the J/psi p channel, and we study the angular distributions of the differential cross sections. This will shed light on the nature and couplings of the Pc(4450) structure in the future photoproduction experiments.

Photoproduction of $${\varvec{\pi }}^{{\varvec{-}}}{\varvec{\varDelta }}^{{\varvec{++}}}$$ π - Δ + + , $${\varvec{\pi }}^{{\varvec{+}}}{\varvec{\varDelta }}^\mathbf{0 }$$ π + Δ 0 , and $${\varvec{\pi }}^{{\varvec{+}}}{} \mathbf{n}$$ π + n on the Proton at $${\varvec{E}}_{{\varvec{\gamma }}}=\mathbf{1.5}$$ E γ = 1.5 –3.0 GeV

We carry out photoproduction experiments by using linearly polarized photon beams with energies of 1.5–3.0 GeV at SPring-8/LEPS. There is no distinct peak structure due to nucleon or $$\varDelta $$ resonances in the preliminary cross sections for the $$\gamma p$$ $$\rightarrow $$ $$\pi ^{-}\varDelta ^{++}$$ , $$\pi ^{+}\varDelta ^{0}$$ , and $$\pi ^{+}n$$ reactions for 0.7 $$<\cos \theta _{\pi }<$$ 1. The cross section ratios $$\sigma $$ ( $$\pi ^{+}\varDelta ^{0}$$ )/ $$\sigma $$ ( $$\pi ^{-}\varDelta ^{++}$$ ) are close to 1/3, which is expected from the isospin = 1 exchange in the t-channel, at small $$\pi $$ angles and become larger than 1/3 at large $$\pi $$ angles. The photon beam asymmetries are small negative values, small positive values, and large positive values for the $$\pi ^{-}\varDelta ^{++}$$ , $$\pi ^{+}\varDelta ^{0}$$ , and $$\pi ^{+}n$$ reactions, respectively. The asymmetries are sensitive to reaction mechanisms and are found to be largely different among these reactions. The asymmetries are strong constraint in theoretical studies and expected to play an important role in searching for new nucleon resonances.

Status of the $${\mathbf {\Lambda (1405)}}$$ Λ ( 1405 )

I give an overview of the current status of the lowest s-wave baryon resonance in the strangeness ( $$S=-1$$ ) channel, the $$\varLambda (1405)$$ . Recent results from Lattice QCD calculations and new high-precision data from photoproduction experiments are highlighted in this talk. On the theoretical side various directions have been explored over the last two decades on the basis of coupled-channel chiral unitary models. New photoproduction data can be used to reduce statistical uncertainty of the predictions of such models. As for the systematic uncertainties, a recent comparative analysis of modern approaches exhibits many similarities but also large ambiguities in some of the predicted properties of the antikaon-nucleon scattering amplitudes. Some possible ways to reduce such a model dependence are discussed at the end of this manuscript.

Coherent photoproduction of J/ψ and ϒ mesons in pp and PbPb ultraperipheral collisions from dynamical gluon distributions**Supported by Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences, CAS, under the Grants Number NO. QYZDY-SSW-SLH006 of Chinese Academy of Sciences

We present calculations of coherent photoproduction of vector mesons (J/ψ and ϒ) with leading-order parton distribution functions to check new kinds of corrections of the DGLAP equations and nuclear modifications. The input gluon distribution of the proton is the dynamical parton model from the DGLAP equations with GLR-MQ-ZRS (Gribov-Levin-Ryskin, Mueller-Qiu, Zhu-Ruan-Shen) modifications. From comparison between several other gluon distribution models, we find that the dynamical gluon distribution fits with the results of meson photoproduction experiments in the high energy region. The calculation of the differential cross sections using dynamical and other gluon distributions is compared with the experimental data from the HERA, ZEUS and LHCb Collaborations. Although there is little data for the rapidity distribution of vector meson photoproduction near zero rapidity, the dynamical gluon distribution works well with the data in the large rapidity region.

Pentaquark photoproduction

We present results and suggestions on how to confirm the existence and resonant nature of the Pc(4450) detected at LHCb through photoproduction experiments. We find that this narrow structure might have escaped detection in past experiments and use those to give a constraint for the upper limit of the branching ratio/coupling to the J/ψ p channel.

Amplitude reconstruction from complete photoproduction experiments and truncated partial-wave expansions

We compare the methods of amplitude reconstruction, for a complete experiment and a truncated partial wave analysis, applied to the photoproduction of pseudo-scalar mesons. The approach is pedagogical, showing in detail how the amplitude reconstruction (observables measured at a single energy and angle) is related to a truncated partial-wave analysis (observables measured at a single energy and a number of angles).

Beam and spin dynamics in the fast ramping storage ring ELSA: Concepts and measures to increase beam energy, current and polarization

The electron accelerator facility ELSA has been operated for almost 30 years serving nuclear physics experiments investigating the sub-nuclear structure of matter. Within the 12 years funding period of the collaborative research center SFB/TR 16, linearly and circularly polarized photon beams with energies up to more than 3 GeV were successfully delivered to photoproduction experiments. In order to fulfill the increasing demands on beam polarization and intensity, a comprehensive research and upgrade program has been carried out. Beam and spin dynamics have been studied theoretically and experimentally, and sophisticated new devices have been developed and installed. The improvements led to a significant increase of the available beam polarization and intensity. A further increase of beam energy seems feasible with the implementation of superconducting cavities.

The FOREST detector for meson photoproduction experiments at ELPH

An electromagnetic calorimeter complex, FOREST, has been constructed for meson photoproduction experiments at the Research Center for Electron Photon Science, Tohoku University. It consists of three types of calorimeters, which are made of pure cesium-iodide crystals, lead scintillating-fiber modules, and lead glass Cherenkov counters. Each calorimeter is equipped with a plastic scintillator hodoscope to identify charged particles. The design and performance of FOREST are described. The energy responses of test calorimeters have been investigated by using 100–800MeV positron beams. The energy resolutions of the three calorimeters are found to be approximately 3%, 7%, and 5% for 1-GeV photons, respectively. A cryogenic hydrogen/deuterium target system fitted to the FOREST experiments and a newly developed data acquisition system are also presented.

Baryon Spectroscopy with Polarization Observables from CLAS

The spectrum of nucleon excitations is dominated by broad and overlapping resonances. Polarization observables in photoproduction reactions are key in the study of these excitations. They give indispensable constraints to partial-wave analyses and help clarify the spectrum. A series of polarized photoproduction experiments have been performed at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). These measurements include data with linearly and circularly polarized tagged-photon beams, longitudinally and transversely polarized proton and deuterium targets, and recoil polarizations through the observation of the weak decay of hyperons. An overview of these studies and recent results will be given.

Dalitz plot ofη′ →ηπ+π−

In this talk we present preliminary experimental results of Dalitz plot analysis of the decay η ′ → η π + π − , based on the CLAS data collected during photoproduction experiment γ p → η ′ p for the center-of-mass energy from 1.90 to 2.62 GeV at Jefferson Lab. This experiment will enable us to report precise Dalitz plot parameters of the η ′ → η π + π − decay for the first time in a photoproduction experiment.

Impressions of the Meson Spectrum: Hybrids &amp; Exotics, present and future

It has long been expected that the spectrum of hadrons in QCD would be far richer and extensive than experiment has so far revealed. While there have been experimental hints of this richness for some time, it is really only in the last few years that dramatic progress has been seen in the exploration both experimentally and in calculations on the lattice. Precision studies enabled by new technology both with detectors and high performance computations are converging on an understanding of the spectrum in strong coupling QCD. These methodologies are laying the foundation for a decade of potential discovery that electro and photoproduction experiments at Jefferson Lab, which when combined with key results on $B$ and charmonium decays from both $e^+e^-$ and $pp$ colliders, should turn mere impressions of the light meson spectrum into a high definition picture.

Double polarisation experiments in meson photoproduction

One of the remaining challenges within the standard model is to gain a good understanding of QCD in the non-perturbative regime. A key step towards this aim is baryon spectroscopy, investigating the spectrum and the properties of baryon resonances. To gain access to resonances with small $\pi N$ partial width, photoproduction experiments provide essential information. Partial wave analyses need to be performed to extract the contributing resonances. Here, a complete experiment is required to unambiguously determine the contributing amplitudes. This involves the measurement of carefully chosen single and double polarisation observables. In a joint endeavour by MAMI, ELSA, and Jefferson Laboratory, a new generation of experiments with polarised beams, polarised proton and neutron targets, and $4\pi$ particle detectors have been performed in recent years. Many results of unprecedented quality were recently published by all three experiments, and included by the various partial wave analysis groups in their analyses, leading to substantial improvements, e.g. a more precise determination of resonance parameters. An overview of recent results is given, with an emphasis on results from the CBELSA/TAPS experiment, and their impact on our understanding of the nucleon excitation spectrum is discussed.

Commissioning and initial experimental program of the BGO-OD experiment at ELSA

BGO-OD is a new meson photoproduction experiment at the ELSA facility of Bonn University. It aims at the investigation of non strange and strange baryon excitations, and is especially designed to be able to detect weekly bound meson-baryon type structures. The setup for the BGO-OD experiment is presented, the characteristics of the photon beam and the detector performances are shown and the initial experimental program is discussed.

Light meson decays from photon-induced reactions with CLAS

Photoproduction experiments with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer CLAS at the Thomas Jefferson National Facility produce data sets with competitive statistics of light mesons. With these data sets, measurements of transition form factors for η , ω , and η ′ mesons via conversion decays can be performed using the invariant mass distribution of the final state dileptons. Tests of fundamental symmetries and information on the light quark mass difference can be performed using a Dalitz plot analysis of the meson decay. An overview of preliminary results, from existing CLAS data, and future prospects within the newly upgraded CLAS12 apparatus are given.

Photocatalytic hydrogen production on Pt-loaded TiO2 inverse opals

TiO2 inverse opals present increased photocatalytic production of H2. TiO2 inverse opals with different pore size and TiO2 macroporous structures with disordered arrangement of the pores have been tested in the photocatalytic production of hydrogen in aqueous solution with a formate buffer as hole scavenger. TiO2 inverse opals belong to the family of metamaterials and exhibit unique catalytic properties arising from their peculiar interaction with light. To discriminate the effects of slow photons the hydrogen photoproduction experiments were carried out at two different wavelengths, at 365nm where the effect of slow photons is maximized, and at 254nm where it is negligible. The resulting hydrogen production rates suggest a strong effect of the slow light and of the polymer template used in the synthesis of the TiO2 powders. The chemical properties of the polymeric sacrificial template determine the crystalline phase of the sample and as a consequence affect the catalytic performances of the resulting TiO2 structures.

High precision photon flux determination for photon tagging experiments

The Jefferson Laboratory PrimEx Collaboration has developed and implemented a method to control the tagged photon flux in photoproduction experiments at the 1% level over the photon energy range from 4.9 to 5.5GeV. This method has been successfully implemented in a high precision measurement of the neutral pion lifetime. Here, we outline the experimental equipment and the analysis techniques used to accomplish this. These include the use of a total absorption counter for absolute flux calibration, a pair spectrometer for online relative flux monitoring, and a new method for post-bremsstrahlung electron counting.

Parton distribution amplitudes of light vector mesons

A rainbow-ladder truncation of QCD's Dyson-Schwinger equations is used to calculate rho- and phi-meson valence-quark (twist-two parton) distribution amplitudes (PDAs) via a light-front projection of their Bethe-Salpeter wave functions, which possess S- and D-wave components of comparable size in the meson rest frame. All computed PDAs are broad concave functions, whose dilation with respect to the asymptotic distribution is an expression of dynamical chiral symmetry breaking. The PDAs can be used to define an ordering of valence-quark light-front spatial-extent within mesons: this size is smallest within the pion and increases through the perp-polarisation to the parallel-polarisation of the vector mesons; effects associated with the breaking of SU(3)-flavour symmetry are significantly smaller than those associated with altering the polarisation of vector mesons. Notably, the predicted pointwise behaviour of the rho-meson PDAs is in quantitative agreement with that inferred recently via an analysis of diffractive vector-meson photoproduction experiments.

Ammonium production off central Chile (36°S) by photodegradation of phytoplankton-derived and marine dissolved organic matter.

We investigated the production of ammonium by the photodegradation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the coastal upwelling system off central Chile (36°S). The mean penetration of solar radiation (Z1%) between April 2011 and February 2012 was 9.4 m, 4.4 m and 3.2 m for Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR; 400–700 nm), UV-A (320–400 nm) and UV-B (280–320 nm), respectively. Ammonium photoproduction experiments were carried out using exudates of DOM obtained from cultured diatom species (Chaetoceros muelleri and Thalassiosira minuscule) as well as natural marine DOM. Diatom exudates showed net photoproduction of ammonium under exposure to UVR with a mean rate of 0.56±0.4 µmol L−1 h−1 and a maximum rate of 1.49 µmol L−1 h−1. Results from natural marine DOM showed net photoproduction of ammonium under exposure to PAR+UVR ranging between 0.06 and 0.2 µmol L−1 h−1. We estimated the potential contribution of photochemical ammonium production for phytoplankton ammonium demand. Photoammonification of diatom exudates could support between 117 and 453% of spring-summer NH4 + assimilation, while rates obtained from natural samples could contribute to 50–178% of spring-summer phytoplankton NH4 + requirements. These results have implications for local N budgets, as photochemical ammonium production can occur year-round in the first meters of the euphotic zone that are impacted by full sunlight.

Development of Bayesian analysis program for extraction of polarisation observables at CLAS

At the mass scale of a proton, the strong force is not well understood. Various quark models exist, but it is important to determine which quark model(s) are most accurate. Experimentally, finding resonances predicted by some models and not others would give valuable insight into this fundamental interaction. Several labs around the world use photoproduction experiments to find these missing resonances. The aim of this work is to develop a robust Bayesian data analysis program for extracting polarisation observables from pseudoscalar meson photoproduction experiments using CLAS at Jefferson Lab. This method, known as nested sampling, has been compared to traditional methods and has incorporated data parallelisation and GPU programming. It involves an event-by-event likelihood function, which has no associated loss of information from histogram binning, and results can be easily constrained to the physical region. One of the most important advantages of the nested sampling approach is that data from different experiments can be combined and analysed simultaneously. Results on both simulated and previously analysed experimental data for the K+Λ channel will be discussed.