Proton Polarization Research Articles

Polarized proton beam acceleration at the Nuclotron with the use of the solenoid Siberian Snake

The possibility of polarized protons acceleration up to 6 GeV at the Nuclotron is analyzed. Proton beam acceleration by application of full and partial Siberian Snakes are considered. Compensation of the betatron coupling introduced by the solenoids is done by a compact insert of quadrupoles with a certain symmetry of their tilt angles around the orbit direction. Such a scheme has a shorter total length of the quadrupoles than the known compensation schemes. The Snakes installed within one, 3.2 m long, or two, 2 × 3.2 m long, straight sections of the Nuclotron lattice are considered.

The Proton Form Factor Ratio Measurements at Jefferson Lab

The ratio of the proton form factors, GEp/GMp, has been measured from Q2 of 0.5 GeV2 to 8.5 GeV2, at the Jefferson Laboratory, using the polarization transfer method. This ratio is extracted directly from the measured ratio of the transverse and longitudinal polarization components of the recoiling proton in elastic electron-proton scattering. The discovery that the proton form factor ratio measured in these experiments decreases approximately linearly with four-momentum transfer, Q2, for values above ? 1 GeV2, is one of the most significant results to come out of JLab. These results have had a large impact on progress in hadronic physics; and have required a significant rethinking of nucleon structure. The increasingly common use of the double-polarization technique to measure the nucleon form factors, in the last 15 years, has resulted in a dramatic improvement of the quality of all four nucleon electromagnetic form factors, GEp, GMp, GEn and GMn. There is an approved experiment at JLab, GEP(V), to continue the ratio measurements to 12 GeV2. A dedicated experimental setup, the Super Bigbite Spectrometer (SBS), will be built for this purpose. It will be equipped with a focal plane polarimeter to measure the polarization of the recoil protons. The scattered electrons will be detected in an electromagnetic calorimeter. In this presentation, I will review the status of the proton elastic electromagnetic form factors and discuss a number of theoretical approaches to describe nucleon form factors.

The proton form factor measurements at Jefferson Lab, past and future

Use of the double-polarization technique to obtain the elastic nucleon form factors has resulted in a dramatic improvement of the quality of two of the four nucleon electromagnetic form factors, GEp and GEn. It has also changed our understanding of the proton structure, having resulted in a distinctly different Q2-dependence for both GEp and GMp, contradicting the prevailing wisdom of the 1990’s based on cross section measurements, namely that GEp and GMp obey a “scaling” relation μGEp ∼ GMp. A related consequence of the faster decrease of GEp revealed by the Jefferson Lab (JLab) polarization results was the disappearance of the early scaling F2/F1 ∼ 1/Q2 predicted by perturbative QCD. In three experiments, GEp(1), GEp(2) and GEp(3), in Halls A and C at JLab, the ratio of the proton’s electromagnetic elastic form factors, GEp/GMp, was measured up to four momentum transfer Q2 of 8.5 GeV2 with high precision, using the recoil polarization technique. The initial discovery that the proton form factor ratio measured in these three experiments decreases approximately linearly with four-momentum transfer, Q2, for values above ∼ 1 GeV2, was modified by the GEp(3) results, which suggests a slowing down of this decrease. There is an approved experiment, GEp(5), to continue these measurements to 15 GeV2. A dedicated experimental setup, the super bigbite spectrometer (SBS), will be built for this purpose. It will be equipped with a new focal plane polarimeter to measure the polarization of the recoil protons. In this presentation, I will review the status of the proton elastic electromagnetic form factors, mention succinctly a number of theoretical approaches to describe results and show some features required for the future GEp(5) experiment.

Polarized deuterons and protons at NICA@JINR

The novel scheme of proton and deuteron polarization control in the NICA collider at Dubna is proposed. By means of two Siberian Shakes with solenoid magnetic field the beam spin tune is shifted to the “zero” spin resonance vicinity, whereas manipulation of the polarization is realized by “weak” field solenoids. The scheme makes it possible to obtain any desired direction of the polarization in the both MPD and SPD detectors for any sort of the particles. The possibility of the beam polarization control in the orbit plane at any azimuth of the collider magnetic arcs exists also. The last gives necessary flexibility of optimal matching the beam polarization at injection into collider and at the polarimetery monitor points.

Cross polarization from (1)H to quadrupolar (6)Li nuclei for dissolution DNP.

Cross polarization from protons to quadrupolar (6)Li nuclei is combined with dynamic nuclear polarization of protons at 1.2 K and 6.7 T using TEMPOL as a polarizing agent followed by rapid dissolution. Compared to direct (6)Li DNP without cross-polarization, a higher nuclear spin polarization P((6)Li) can be obtained in a shorter time. A double resonance (1)H-(6)Li probe was designed that is equipped for Longitudinally Detected Electron Spin Resonance.

Modeling H-Bonding and Protonation States of Membrane Buried ARG-TYR Pairs

Previous X-ray crystallographic studies have shown that in the activated states of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), or in those of microbial rhodopsins, the side chains in conserved R+Y dyads transiently move within several A of each other. In the M state of bR, substantial side-chain perturbation occurs, as has been shown previously, e.g. by FTIR and solid-state (SS) NMR studies of bR with 15N-labeled R82. No simpler system has been able to model the transient spectral perturbations of R82 in M. Here we report the synthesis of crystalline ω-(4-anisolyl)-dodecylguanidine (ADG) and ω-(4-phenolyl)-dodecylguanidine (PDG), with either natural isotope abundance or 98% 15N-enrichment at the 2 terminal nitrogens. The ADG free base, with a deprotonated guanidine group, is a good spectroscopic model for both IR and 15N-SS-NMR signals that were previously seen from R82 in the M photointermediate, particularly for the unusually large 15N chemical shift splitting. In the crystalline PDG free base, however, this chemical shift splitting is reduced to nearly the same value seen for the HBr salts of ADG, PDG, and arginine itself, all of which have protonated guanidinium groups. The high-resolution X-ray structure of the free-base form of PDG, as well as the IR spectrum of these crystals in KBr disk, show clearly that what crystallizes is actually a zwitterion, with guanidinium and phenolate groups; additionally, 2 H-bonding solvent (methanol) molecules co-crystallize with each PDG. These PDG free-base crystals are surprisingly insoluble in most aprotic solvents. However, they are sufficiently soluble in DMSO to observe IR, UV-vis and 1H NMR spectra. These spectra are all consistent with a ∼50/50 mix of rapidly-interchanging zwitterionic and neutral forms. The high proton polarizability of PDG makes this an interesting model system for buried H-bonded uncharged R+Y dyads in proteins.

Light sea fermions in electron-proton and muon-proton interactions

The proton radius conundrum [R. Pohl et al., Nature vol.466, p.213 (2010) and A. Antognini et al., Science vol.339, p.417 (2013)] highlights the need to revisit any conceivable sources of electron-muon nonuniversality in lepton-proton interactions within the Standard Model. Superficially, a number of perturbative processes could appear to lead to such a nonunversality. One of these is a coupling of the scattered electron into an electronic as opposed to a muonic vacuum polarization loop in the photon exchange of two valence quarks, which is present only for electron projectiles as opposed to muon projectiles. However, we can show that this effect actually is part of the radiative correction to the proton's polarizability contribution to the Lamb shift, equivalent to a radiative correction to double scattering. We conclude that any conceivable genuine nonuniversality must be connected with a nonperturbative feature of the proton's structure, e.g., with the possible presence of light sea fermions as constituent components of the proton. If we assume an average of roughly 0.7*10^(-7) light sea positrons per valence quark, then we can show that virtual electron-positron annihiliation processes lead to an extra term in the electron-proton versus muon-proton interaction, which has the right sign and magnitude to explain the proton radius discrepancy.

Mechanical Stability of H3PO4-Doped PBI/Hydrophilic-Pretreated PTFE Membranes for High Temperature PEMFCs

A novel polybenzimidazole (PBI)/poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) composite membrane doped with phosphoric acid was fabricated for high temperature operation in a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. A hydrophilic surface pretreatment was applied to the porous PTFE matrix film to improve its interfacial adhesion to the PBI polymer, thereby avoiding the introduction of Nafion ionomer which is traditionally used as a coupling agent. The pretreated PTFE film was embedded within the composite membrane during solution-casting using 5wt% PBI/DMAc solution. The mechanical stability and durability of three types of MEAs assembled with PBI only, PBI with pretreated PTFE, and PBI-Nafion with untreated PTFE membranes were evaluated under an accelerated degradation testing protocol employing extreme temperature cycling. Degradation was characterized by recording polarization curves, hydrogen crossover, and proton resistance. Cross-sections of the membranes were examined before and after thermal cycling by scanning electron microscope. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy verified that the PBI is dispersed homogeneously in the porous PTFE matrix. Results show that the PBI composite membrane with pretreated PTFE has a lower degradation rate than the Nafion/PBI membrane with untreated PTFE. Thus, the hydrophilic pretreatment employed here greatly improved the mechanical stability of the composite membrane, which resulted in improved durability under an extreme thermal cycling regime.

On the polarization of the final nucleon in NC elastic $\nu _\mu (\bar \nu _\mu )$ -N scattering

New short baseline neutrino experiments open new possibilities of high precision study of different neutrino processes. We present here results of the calculation of the polarization of final nucleon in elastic NC \nu_\mu (\bar\nu_\mu)-nucleon scattering. In a numerical analysis the sensitivity to the different choices of the axial and axial strange form factors is examined. Measurements of the polarization of the final proton in elastic e-p scattering drastically changed our knowledge about the electromagnetic form factors of the proton. From measurement of the nucleon polarization in the NC elastic scattering a new additional information about the axial G_A(Q^2} and the strange axial G^s_A(Q^2) form factors of the nucleon could be inferred.

Fundamental studies for the proton polarization technique in neutron protein crystallography

The isotope effect in conventional neutron protein crystallography (NPC) can be eliminated by the proton polarization technique (ppt). Furthermore, the ppt can improve detection sensitivity of hydrogen (relative neutron scattering length of hydrogen) by approximately eight times in comparison with conventional NPC. Several technical difficulties, however, should be overcome in order to perform the ppt. In this paper, two fundamental studies to realise ppt are presented: preliminary trials using high-pressure flash freezing has shown the advantage of making bulk water amorphous without destroying the single crystal; and X-ray diffraction and liquid-chromatography/mass-spectrometry analyses of standard proteins after introducing radical molecules into protein crystals have shown that radical molecules could be distributed non-specifically around proteins, which is essential for better proton polarization.

Advanced electron paramagnetic resonance on the catalytic iron–sulfur cluster bound to the CCG domain of heterodisulfide reductase and succinate: quinone reductase

Heterodisulfide reductase (Hdr) is a key enzyme in the energy metabolism of methanogenic archaea. The enzyme catalyzes the reversible reduction of the heterodisulfide (CoM-S-S-CoB) to the thiol coenzymes M (CoM-SH) and B (CoB-SH). Cleavage of CoM-S-S-CoB at an unusual FeS cluster reveals unique substrate chemistry. The cluster is fixed by cysteines of two cysteine-rich CCG domain sequence motifs (CX31-39CCX35-36CXXC) of subunit HdrB of the Methanothermobacter marburgensis HdrABC complex. We report on Q-band (34GHz) (57)Fe electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopic measurements on the oxidized form of the cluster found in HdrABC and in two other CCG-domain-containing proteins, recombinant HdrB of Hdr from M. marburgensis and recombinant SdhE of succinate: quinone reductase from Sulfolobus solfataricus P2. The spectra at 34GHz show clearly improved resolution arising from the absence of proton resonances and polarization effects. Systematic spectral simulations of 34GHz data combined with previous 9GHz data allowed the unambiguous assignment of four (57)Fe hyperfine couplings to the cluster in all three proteins. (13)C Mims ENDOR spectra of labelled CoM-SH were consistent with the attachment of the substrate to the cluster in HdrABC, whereas in the other two proteins no substrate is present. (57)Fe resonances in all three systems revealed unusually large (57)Fe ENDOR hyperfine splitting as compared to known systems. The results infer that the cluster's unique magnetic properties arise from the CCG binding motif.

Proton polarization in photo-excited aromatic molecule at room temperature enhanced by intense optical source and temperature control

Proton polarization at room temperature, produced in a p-terphenyl crystal by using electron population difference in a photo-excited triplet state of pentacene, was enhanced by utilizing an intense laser with an average power of 1.5W. It was shown that keeping the sample temperature below 300K is critically important to prevent the rise of the spin–lattice relaxation rate caused by the laser heating. It is also reported that the magnitude of proton polarization strongly depends on the time structure of the laser pulse such as its width and the time interval between them.

Polarization effects in the quasielastic (p, 2p) reaction with the nuclear S-Shell Protons at 1 GeV

The polarization of the secondary protons in the (p, 2p) reaction with the S-shell protons of nuclei 4He, 6Li, 12C, 28Si, 40Ca was measured at 1 GeV unpolarized proton beam. The spin correlation parameters C ij for the 4He and 12C targets also were for the first time obtained as well. The polarization measurements were performed by means of a two-arm magnetic spectrometer, each arm of which was equipped with the multiwire-proportional chamber polarimeter. This experiment was aimed to study a modification of the proton-proton scattering matrix in the nuclear medium.

Separation of Proton Polarizabilities with the Beam Asymmetry of Compton Scattering

We propose to determine the magnetic dipole polarizability of the proton from the beam asymmetry of low-energy Compton scattering based on the fact that the leading non-Born contribution to the asymmetry is given by the magnetic polarizability alone; the electric polarizability cancels out. The beam asymmetry thus provides a simple and clean separation of the magnetic polarizability from the electric one. Introducing polarizabilities in a Lorentz-invariant fashion, we compute the higher-order (recoil) effects of polarizabilities on beam asymmetry and show that these effects are suppressed in forward kinematics. With the prospects of precision Compton experiments at the Mainz Microtron and High Intensity Gamma Source facilities in mind, we argue why the beam asymmetry could be the best way to measure the elusive magnetic polarizability of the proton.

Storage of Hydrogen Spin Polarization in Long-Lived 13C2 Singlet Order and Implications for Hyperpolarized Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful technique enabling real-time monitoring of metabolites at concentration levels not accessible by standard MRI techniques. A considerable challenge this technique faces is the T1 decay of the hyperpolarization upon injection into the system under study. Here we show that A(n)A'(n)XX' spin systems such as (13)C2-1,2-diphenylacetylene ((13)C2-DPA) sustain long-lived polarization for both (13)C and (1)H spins with decay constants of almost 4.5 min at high magnetic fields of up to 16.44 T without spin-locking; the T1 of proton polarization is only 3.8 s. Therefore, storage of the proton polarization in a (13)C2-singlet state causes a 69-fold extension of the spin lifetime. Notably, this extension is demonstrated with proton-only pulse sequences, which can be readily implemented on standard clinical scanners.

An apparatus for pulsed ESR and DNP experiments using optically excited triplet states down to liquid helium temperatures

In standard Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) electron spins are polarized at low temperatures in a strong magnetic field and this polarization is transferred to the nuclear spins by means of a microwave field. To obtain high nuclear polarizations cryogenic equipment reaching temperatures of 1K or below and superconducting magnets delivering several Tesla are required. This equipment strongly limits applications in nuclear and particle physics where beams of particles interact with the polarized nuclei, as well as in neutron scattering science. The problem can be solved using short-lived optically excited triplet states delivering the electron spin. The spin is polarized in the optical excitation process and both the cryogenic equipment and magnet can be simplified significantly. A versatile apparatus is described that allows to perform pulsed dynamic nuclear polarization experiments at X-band using short-lived optically excited triplet sates. The efficient 4He flow cryostat that cools the sample to temperatures between 4K and 300K has an optical access with a coupling stage for a fiber transporting the light from a dedicated laser system. It is further designed to be operated on a neutron beam. A combined pulse ESR/DNP spectrometer has been developed to observe and characterize the triplet states and to perform pulse DNP experiments. The ESR probe is based on a dielectric ring resonator of 7mm inner diameter that can accommodate cubic samples of 5mm length needed for neutron experiments. NMR measurements can be performed during DNP with a coil integrated in the cavity. With the presented apparatus a proton polarization of 0.5 has been achieved at 0.3T.

Polarization of the final nucleon in quasi-elastic neutrino scattering and the axial form factor of the nucleon

Measurements of the polarization of the final proton in elastic e–p scattering drastically changed our knowledge about the electromagnetic form factors of the proton. Here we present our results of the calculation of the polarization of the final nucleon in charged current quasi-elastic neutrino nucleon scattering. Relations which connect the axial form factor with the polarization, the cross section and the electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon are derived. Measurements of the polarization of the nucleon in high-statistics short baseline neutrino experiments (or in near detectors of long baseline experiments) could provide important information on the axial form factor of the nucleon.

Bound-state field-theory approach to proton-structure effects in muonic hydrogen

A bound-state field theory approach to muonic hydrogen is set up using a variant of the Furry representation in which the lowest-order Hamiltonian describes a muon in the presence of a point Coulomb field, but the origin of the binding field is taken to be three charged quarks in the proton which are modeled as Dirac particles that move freely within a spherical well. Bound-state field theory techniques are used to evaluate one- and two-photon effects. Particular attention is paid to two-photon exchange diagrams, which include the effect of proton polarizability. In addition the modification of the electromagnetic self energy of the proton by the electric field of the muon is examined. Finally, the model is used to carry out a calculation of the static electric polarizability of the proton.

Muonic-hydrogen Lamb shift: Dispersing the nucleon-excitation uncertainty with a finite-energy sum rule

We assess the two-photon exchange contribution to the Lamb shift in muonic hydrogen with forward dispersion relations. The subtraction constant $\bar T(0,Q^2)$ that is necessary for a dispersive evaluation of the forward doubly-virtual Compton amplitude, through a finite energy sum rule, is related to the fixed J=0 pole generalized to the case of virtual photons. We evaluated this sum rule using excellent virtual photoabsorption data that are available. We find that the "proton polarizability correction" to the Lamb shift in muonic hydrogen is $-(40\pm5)\mu$eV. We conclude that nucleon structure-dependent uncertainty by itself is unlikely to resolve the large (300$\mu$eV) discrepancy between direct measurement of the Lamb shift in $\mu H$ and expectations based on conventional Hydrogen measurements.

Analyzing Power in Elastic Scattering of Polarized Protons from Neutron-rich Helium Isotopes

The vector analyzing power has been measured for the elastic scattering of neutron-rich 6He from polarized protons at 71 MeV/nucleon. Two approaches based on local one-body potentials were applied to investigate the spin-orbit interaction between a proton and a 6He nucleus. An optical model analysis revealed that the spin-orbit potential for 6He is characterized by a shallow and long-ranged shape compared with the global systematics of stable nuclei. A semi-microscopic analysis with a α + n + n cluster folding model suggests that the inclusion of realistic interaction between a proton and the α core is important in describing the p-6He elastic scattering.