Search

The Heavy Photon Search (HPS) experiment is designed to search for a new vector boson $A^\prime$ in the mass range of 20 MeV/$c^2$ to 220 MeV/$c^2$ that kinetically mixes with the Standard Model photon with couplings $\epsilon^2 >10^{-10}$. In addition to the general importance of exploring light, weakly coupled physics that is difficult to probe with high-energy colliders, a prime motivation for this search is the possibility that sub-GeV thermal relics constitute dark matter, a scenario that requires a new comparably light mediator, where models with a hidden $U(1)$ gauge symmetry, a "dark", "hidden sector", or "heavy" photon, are particularly attractive. HPS searches for visible signatures of these heavy photons, taking advantage of their small coupling to electric charge to produce them via a process analogous to bremsstrahlung in a fixed target and detect their subsequent decay to $\mathrm{e}^+ \mathrm{e}^-$ pairs in a compact spectrometer. In addition to searching for $\mathrm{e}^+ \mathrm{e}^-$ resonances atop large QED backgrounds, HPS has the ability to precisely measure decay lengths, resulting in unique sensitivity to dark photons, as well as other long-lived new physics. After completion of the experiment and operation of engineering runs in 2015 and 2016 at the JLab CEBAF, physics runs in 2019 and 2021 have provided datasets that are now being analyzed to search for dark photons and other new phenomena., Comment: Submitted to the Proceedings of the US Community Study on the Future of Particle Physics (Snowmass 2021)

This document collects the proceedings of the PHOTON 2017 conference ("International Conference on the Structure and the Interactions of the Photon", including the 22th "International Workshop on Photon-Photon Collisions", and the "International Workshop on High Energy Photon Colliders") held at CERN (Geneva) in May 2017. The latest experimental and theoretical developments on the topics of the PHOTON conference series are covered: (i) $\gamma\,\gamma$ processes in e$^+$e$^-$, proton-proton (pp) and nucleus-nucleus (AA) collisions at current and future colliders, (ii) $\gamma$-hadron interactions in e$^\pm$p, pp, and AA collisions, (iii) final-state photon production (including Standard Model studies and searches beyond it) in pp and AA collisions, and (iv) high-energy $\gamma$-ray astrophysics. These proceedings are dedicated to the memory of Maria Krawczyk., Comment: 296 pages. CERN-Proceedings-2018-001 (CERN, Geneva, 2018), to appear. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1804.05614, arXiv:1708.06683, arXiv:1709.09044, arXiv:1708.00912, arXiv:1708.07173, arXiv:1709.02985, arXiv:1709.00176, arXiv:1709.05167, arXiv:1708.05756, arXiv:1708.09759, arXiv:1708.07531, arXiv:1703.08450, arXiv:1711.02551, arXiv:1511.07794, arXiv:1712.10104, arXiv:1708.05776, arXiv:1712.10202, arXiv:1709.07110, arXiv:1702.08730, arXiv:1709.02648, arXiv:1411.6397

We propose to measure tagged deep inelastic scattering from light nuclei (deuterium and $^4$He) by detecting the low energy nuclear spectator recoil (p, $^3$H and $^3$He) in addition to the scattered electron. The proposed experiment will provide stringent tests leading to clear differentiation between the many models describing the EMC effect, by accessing the bound nucleon virtuality through its initial momentum at the point of interaction. Indeed, conventional nuclear physics explanations of the EMC effect mainly based on Fermi motion and binding effects yield very different predictions than more exotic scenarios, where bound nucleons basically loose their identity when embedded in the nuclear medium. By distinguishing events where the interacting nucleon was slow, as described by a mean field scenario, or fast, very likely belonging to a correlated pair, will clearly indicate which phenomenon is relevant to explain the EMC effect. An important challenge for such measurements using nuclear spectators is the control of the theoretical framework and, in particular, final state interactions. This experiment will directly provide the necessary data needed to test our understanding of spectator tagging and final state interactions in $^2$H and $^4$He and their impact on the semi-inclusive measurements of the EMC effect described above.

The three-dimensional picture of quarks and gluons in the proton is set to be revealed through Deeply virtual Compton scattering while a critically important puzzle in the one-dimensional picture remains, namely, the origins of the EMC effect. Incoherent nuclear DVCS, i.e. DVCS on a nucleon inside a nucleus, can reveal the 3D partonic structure of the bound nucleon and shed a new light on the EMC effect. However, the Fermi motion of the struck nucleon, off-shell effects and final-state interactions (FSIs) complicate this parton level interpretation. We propose here a measurement of incoherent DVCS with a tagging of the recoiling spectator system (nucleus A-1) to systematically control nuclear effects. Through spectator-tagged DVCS, a fully detected final state presents a unique opportunity to systematically study these nuclear effects and cleanly observe possible modification of the nucleon's quark distributions. We propose to measure the DVCS beam-spin asymmetries (BSAs) on $^4$He and deuterium targets. The reaction $^4$He$(e,e^{\prime}\gamma\,p\,^3$H$)$ with a fully detected final state has the rare ability to simultaneously quantify FSIs, measure initial nucleon momentum, and provide a sensitive probe to other nuclear effects at the parton level. The DVCS BSA on a (quasi-free) neutron will be measured by tagging a spectator proton with a deuteron target. Similarly, a bound neutron measurement detects a spectator $^3$He off a $^4$He target. These two observables will allow for a self-contained measurement of the neutron off-forward EMC Effect.

We propose to study the partonic structure of $^4$He by measuring the Beam Spin Asymmetry (BSA) in coherent Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) and the differential cross-section of the Deeply Virtual Meson Production (DVMP) of the $\phi$. Despite its simple structure, a light nucleus such as $^4$He has a density and a binding energy comparable to that of heavier nuclei. Therefore, by studying $^4$He nucleus, one can learn typical features of the partonic structure of atomic nuclei. The combination of CLAS12 and the ALERT detector provides a unique opportunity to study both the quark and gluon structure of a dense light nucleus. Coherent exclusive DVCS off $^4$He will probe the transverse spatial distribution of quarks in the nucleus as a function of the quarks' longitudinal momentum fraction, $x$. In parallel, the average spatial transverse gluon density of the $^4$He nucleus will be extracted within a GPD framework using the measured longitudinal cross-section for coherent $\phi$ production in a similar range of $x$. Additionally, threshold effects of $\phi$ production can be explored by exploiting the ALERT detector's large acceptance for low $|t|$ events.

The CLAS and Hall A collaborations at Jefferson Laboratory have recently released new results for the ep->ep{\gamma} reaction. We analyze these new data within the Generalized Parton Distribution formalism. Employing a fitter algorithm introduced and used in earlier works, we are able to extract from these data new constraints on the kinematical dependence of three Compton Form Factors. Based on experimental data, we subsequently extract the dependence of the proton charge radius on the quarks longitudinal momentum fraction., Comment: 25 pages, 26 figures

The Heavy Photon Search experiment (HPS) is searching for a new gauge boson, the so-called "heavy photon." Through its kinetic mixing with the Standard Model photon, this particle could decay into an electron-positron pair. It would then be detectable as a narrow peak in the invariant mass spectrum of such pairs, or, depending on its lifetime, by a decay downstream of the production target. The HPS experiment is installed in Hall-B of Jefferson Lab. This article presents the design and performance of one of the two detectors of the experiment, the electromagnetic calorimeter, during the runs performed in 2015-2016. The calorimeter's main purpose is to provide a fast trigger and reduce the copious background from electromagnetic processes through matching with a tracking detector. The detector is a homogeneous calorimeter, made of 442 lead-tungstate (PbWO4) scintillating crystals, each read out by an avalanche photodiode coupled to a custom trans-impedance amplifier., Comment: 34 pages, 25 figures

We determine, based on the latest experimental Deep Virtual Compton Scattering experimental data, the dependence of the spatial size of the proton on the quark's longitudinal momentum. This results in a three-dimensional momentum-space image and tomography of the proton., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

We study the exclusive photoproduction of an electron-positron pair on a neutron target in the Jefferson Lab energy domain. The reaction consists of two processes: the Bethe-Heitler and the Timelike Compton Scattering. The latter process provides potentially access to the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) of the nucleon. We calculate all the unpolarized, single- and double-spin observables of the reaction and study their sensitivities to GPDs., Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures

We study the exclusive photoproduction of a lepton pair off the proton with the aim of studying the proton quark structure via the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPD) formalism. After deriving the amplitudes of the processes contributing to the $\gamma P\to P' e^+e^-$, the Timelike Compton Scattering and the Bethe-Heitler process, we calculate all unpolarized, single- and double- beam-target spin observables in the valence region in terms of GPDs., Comment: 16 pages, 20 figures

We present a method which allows to extract theoretical informations out of a limited set of experimental data and observables, forming up in general an under- constrained system. It has been applied to the field of nucleon structure, in the domain of Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs). We take advantage of this review to remove a couple of approximations that we used in our previous works and update our results using the latest data published., Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, to appear in JPhysG

We discuss the recent data of exclusive $\pi^0$ (and $\pi^+$) electroproduction on the proton obtained by the CLAS collaboration at Jefferson Lab. It is observed that the cross sections, which have been decomposed in $\sigma_T +\epsilon\sigma_L$, $\sigma_{TT}$ and $\sigma_{LT}$ structure functions, are dominated by transverse amplitude contributions. The data can be interpreted in the Generalized Parton Distribution formalism provided that one includes helicity-flip transversity GPDs., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures PANIC14 conference proceeding

We present a sample of results of our work to be published soon on Timelike Compton scattering off the proton, in the framework of the Generalized Parton Distributions formalism., Comment: 2 figures, 4 pages, PANIC 2014 conference proceeding

The Heavy Photon Search (HPS), an experiment to search for a hidden sector photon in fixed target electroproduction, is preparing for installation at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) in the Fall of 2014. As the first stage of this project, the HPS Test Run apparatus was constructed and operated in 2012 to demonstrate the experiment's technical feasibility and to confirm that the trigger rates and occupancies are as expected. This paper describes the HPS Test Run apparatus and readout electronics and its performance. In this setting, a heavy photon can be identified as a narrow peak in the e$^+$e$^-$ invariant mass spectrum, above the trident background or as a narrow invariant mass peak with a decay vertex displaced from the production target, so charged particle tracking and vertexing are needed for its detection. In the HPS Test Run, charged particles are measured with a compact forward silicon microstrip tracker inside a dipole magnet. Electromagnetic showers are detected in a PbW0$_{4}$ crystal calorimeter situated behind the magnet, and are used to trigger the experiment and identify electrons and positrons. Both detectors are placed close to the beam line and split top-bottom. This arrangement provides sensitivity to low-mass heavy photons, allows clear passage of the unscattered beam, and avoids the spray of degraded electrons coming from the target. The discrimination between prompt and displaced e$^+$e$^-$ pairs requires the first layer of silicon sensors be placed only 10~cm downstream of the target. The expected signal is small, and the trident background huge, so the experiment requires very large statistics. Accordingly, the HPS Test Run utilizes high-rate readout and data acquisition electronics and a fast trigger to exploit the essentially 100% duty cycle of the CEBAF accelerator at JLab., Comment: Revised version to match published version, 16 pages, 18 figures, published in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A, editor: Per Hansson Adrian

This work reviews the recent developments in the field of Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) and Deeply virtual Compton scattering in the valence region, which aim at extracting the quark structure of the nucleon. We discuss the constraints which the present generation of measurements provide on GPDs, and examine several state-of-the-art parametrizations of GPDs. Future directions in this active field are discussed., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1304.1479 by other authors

We report the first extraction of the pion-nucleon multipoles near the production threshold for the $n\pi^+$ channel at relatively high momentum transfer ($Q^2$ up to 4.2 $\rm{GeV^2}$). The dominance of the s-wave transverse multipole ($E_{0+}$), expected in this region, allowed us to access the generalized form factor $G_1$ within the light-cone sum rule (LCSR) framework as well as the axial form factor $G_A$. The data analyzed in this work were collected by the nearly $4\pi$ CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) using a 5.754 $\rm{GeV}$ electron beam on a proton target. The differential cross section and the $\pi-N$-multipole $E_{0+}/G_D$ were measured using two different methods, the LCSR and a direct multipole fit. The results from the two methods are found to be consistent and almost $Q^2$ independent., Comment: 17pages, 22 figures, Journal article (Physical Review C)

The goal of the comprehensive program in Deeply Virtual Exclusive Scattering at Jefferson Laboratory is to create transverse spatial images of quarks and gluons as a function of their longitudinal momentum fraction in the proton, the neutron, and in nuclei. These functions are the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) of the target nucleus. Cross section measurements of the Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) reaction {ep -> ep \gamma} in Hall A support the QCD factorization of the scattering amplitude for Q^2 > 2 GeV^2. Quasi-free neutron-DVCS measurements on the Deuteron indicate sensitivity to the quark angular momentum sum rule. Fully exclusive H(e,e' p\gamma) measurements have been made in a wide kinematic range in CLAS with polarized beam, and with both unpolarized and longitudinally polarized targets. Existing models are qualitatively consistent with the JLab data, but there is a clear need for less constrained models. Deeply virtual vector meson production is studied in CLAS. The 12 GeV upgrade will be essential for these channels. The {\rho} and {\omega} channels reactions offer the prospect of flavor sensitivity to the quark GPDs, while the {\phi}-production channel is dominated by the gluon distribution., Comment: 24 pages, 16 figures; References added

We present the results of a fitter code which aims at extracting Compton Form Factors (CFFs) from DVCS (Deep Virtual Compton Scattering) experimental data, in a largely model-independent way. CFFs are linked to GPDs (Generalized parton Distributions) and are the quantities which are directly measurable. The data that we have analyzed are from JLab and HERMES experiments. We obtain some first important constraints on the $H$ and $\tilde{H}$ CFFs. The kinematical dependences ($x_B$, $t$) of these CFFs provide some new insights on nucleon structure., Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Proceeding of ICHEP10 conference, July 22-28, 2010