The STAR Collaboration reports on the photoproduction of $\pi^+\pi^-$ pairs in gold-gold collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV/nucleon-pair. These pion pairs are produced when a nearly-real photon emitted by one ion scatters from the other ion. We fit the $\pi^+\pi^-$ invariant mass spectrum with a combination of $\rho$ and $\omega$ resonances and a direct $\pi^+\pi^-$ continuum. This is the first observation of the $\omega$ in ultra-peripheral collisions, and the first measurement of $\rho-\omega$ interference at energies where photoproduction is dominated by Pomeron exchange. The $\omega$ amplitude is consistent with the measured $\gamma p\rightarrow \omega p$ cross section, a classical Glauber calculation and the $\omega\rightarrow\pi^+\pi^-$ branching ratio. The $\omega$ phase angle is similar to that observed at much lower energies, showing that the $\rho-\omega$ phase difference does not depend significantly on photon energy. The $\rho^0$ differential cross section $d\sigma/dt$ exhibits a clear diffraction pattern, compatible with scattering from a gold nucleus, with 2 minima visible. The positions of the diffractive minima agree better with the predictions of a quantum Glauber calculation that does not include nuclear shadowing than with a calculation that does include shadowing.
The $\pi^+\pi^-$ invariant-mass distribution for all selected $\pi\pi$ candidates with $p_T~<~100~\textrm{MeV}/c$.
The ratio $|B/A|$ of amplitudes of nonresonant $\pi^+\pi^-$ and $\rho^0$ mesons in the present STAR analysis.
The ratio $|B/A|$ of amplitudes of nonresonant $\pi^+\pi^-$ and $\rho^0$ mesons in the previous STAR analysis, Phys. Rev. C 77 034910 (2008).
We report the first measurement of the differential cross section on $\phi$-meson photoproduction from deuterium near the production threshold for a proton using the CLAS detector and a tagged-photon beam in Hall B at Jefferson Lab. The measurement was carried out by a triple coincidence detection of a proton, $K^+$ and $K^-$ near the theoretical production threshold of 1.57 GeV. The extracted differential cross sections $\frac{d\sigma}{dt}$ for the initial photon energy from 1.65-1.75 GeV are consistent with predictions based on a quasifree mechanism. This experiment establishes a baseline for a future experimental search for an exotic $\phi$-N bound state from heavier nuclear targets utilizing subthreshold/near-threshold production of $\phi$ mesons.
Differential cross section as a function of ABS(T-TMIN).
The proton-dissociative diffractive photoproduction of J/psi mesons has been studied in ep collisions with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 112 pb^-1. The cross section is presented as a function of the photon-proton centre-of-mass energy and of the squared four-momentum transfer at the proton vertex. The results are compared to perturbative QCD calculations.
The differential cross section DSIG/DT as a function of T.
The differential cross section DSIG/DT as a function of W in the ABS(T) range 2.0 to 2.5 GeV**2.
The differential cross section DSIG/DT as a function of W in the ABS(T) range 2.5 to 3.0 GeV**2.
We report measurements of differential cross sections and decay asymmetries of incoherent $\phi$-meson photoproduction from the deuteron at forward angles using linearly polarized photons at \Eg=1.5-2.4 GeV. The nuclear transparency ratio for the deuteron shows a large suppression, and is consistent with the A-dependence of the ratio observed in a previous measurement with nuclear targets. The reduction for the deuteron cannot be adequately explained in term of isospin asymmetry. The present results suggest the need of refining our understanding of the $\phi$-N interaction within a nucleus.
Distribution of DSIG/DT from incoherent reaction GAMMA DEUT --> PHI P N for the incident photon energy ranges 1.57 to 1.67 and 1.67 to 1.77 GeV.
Distribution of DSIG/DT from incoherent reaction GAMMA DEUT --> PHI P N for the incident photon energy ranges 1.77 to 1.87 and 1.87 to 1.97 GeV.
Distribution of DSIG/DT from incoherent reaction GAMMA DEUT --> PHI P N for the incident photon energy ranges 1.97 to 2.07 and 2.07 to 2.17 GeV.
Deeply virtual Compton scattering has been measured in e^+p collisions at HERA with the ZEUS detector using an integrated luminosity of 61.1 pb^-1. Cross sections are presented as a function of the photon virtuality, Q^2, and photon-proton centre-of-mass energy, W, for a wide region of the phase space, Q^2>~1.5 GeV^2 and 40<W<170 GeV. A subsample of events in which the scattered proton is measured in the leading proton spectrometer, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 31.3 pb^-1, is used for the first direct measurement of the differential cross section as a function of t, where t is the square of the four-momentum transfer at the proton vertex.
The DVCS cross section as a function of Q**2.
The DVCS cross section as a function of W.
The DVCS cross section as a function of W in four Q**2 regions.
Exclusive rho^0 electroproduction at HERA has been studied with the ZEUS detector using 120 pb^{-1} of integrated luminosity collected during 1996-2000. The analysis was carried out in the kinematic range of photon virtuality 2 < Q^2 < 160 GeV$^2, and gamma^* p centre-of-mass energy 32 < W < 180 GeV. The results include the Q^2 and W dependence of the gamma^* p --> rho^0 p cross section and the distribution of the squared-four-momentum transfer to the proton. The helicity analysis of the decay-matrix elements of the rho^0 was used to study the ratio of the gamma^* p cross section for longitudinal and transverse photon as a function of Q^2 and W. Finally, an effective Pomeron trajectory was extracted. The results are compared to various theoretical predictions.
Measurement of the spin density matrix element r_04_00 as a function of Q**2.
Measurement of the spin density matrix element RE(r_04_10) as a function of Q**2.
Measurement of the spin density matrix element r_04_1-1 as a function of Q**2.
Differential cross sections and decay asymmetries for coherent $\phi$-meson photoproduction from deuterons were measured for the first time at forward angles by linearly polarized photons at $E_{\gamma}$= 1.5-2.4 GeV. With the elimination of isovector unnatural-parity $\pi$-meson exchange in the interaction with isoscalar deuteron target, this reaction is expected to explore natural-parity Pomeron dynamics at low energies. Our measurements show that the cross sections at zero degrees increase steadily with photon energy and the decay asymmetries demonstrate a complete dominance of natural-parity exchange processes. Nevertheless the deduced cross sections of $\phi$-mesons from nucleons contributed by isoscalar t-channel exchange processes are mostly underpredicted by conventional Pomeron model.
Differential cross section DSIG/DT for photon energy 1.57 to 1.67 GeV.
Differential cross section DSIG/DT for photon energy 1.67 to 1.77 GeV.
Differential cross section DSIG/DT for photon energy 1.77 to 1.87 GeV.
Photoproduction of $\phi$-meson on protons was studied by means of linearly polarized photons at forward angles in the low-energy region from threshold to $E_{\gamma}$= 2.37 GeV. The differential cross sections at $t = -|t|_{min}$ do not increase smoothly as $E_{\gamma}$ increases, but show a local maximum at around 2.0 GeV. The angular distributions demonstrate that $\phi$-mesons are photo-produced predominantly by helicity-conserving processes, and the local maximum is not likely due to unnatural-parity processes.
Differential cross section as a function of T+ABS(TMIN) in the photon energy range 1.57 to 1.67 GeV.
Differential cross section as a function of T+ABS(TMIN) in the photon energy range 1.67 to 1.77 GeV.
Differential cross section as a function of T+ABS(TMIN) in the photon energy range 1.77 to 1.87 GeV.
The exclusive omega electroproduction off the proton was studied in a large kinematical domain above the nucleon resonance region and for the highest possible photon virtuality (Q2) with the 5.75 GeV beam at CEBAF and the CLAS spectrometer. Cross sections were measured up to large values of the four-momentum transfer (-t < 2.7 GeV2) to the proton. The contributions of the interference terms sigma_TT and sigma_TL to the cross sections, as well as an analysis of the omega spin density matrix, indicate that helicity is not conserved in this process. The t-channel pi0 exchange, or more generally the exchange of the associated Regge trajectory, seems to dominate the reaction gamma* p -> omega p, even for Q2 as large as 5 GeV2. Contributions of handbag diagrams, related to Generalized Parton Distributions in the nucleon, are therefore difficult to extract for this process. Remarkably, the high-t behaviour of the cross sections is nearly Q2-independent, which may be interpreted as a coupling of the photon to a point-like object in this kinematical limit.
Total cross sections and interference terms (TT and TL).
Differential cross sections DSIG/DT for Q**2 = 1.725 GeV**2 and W = 2.77 GeV.
Differential cross sections DSIG/DT for Q**2 = 1.752 GeV**2 and W = 2.48 GeV.
Exclusive electroproduction of $\phi$ mesons has been studied in $e^\pm p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=318 \gev$ with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 65.1 pb$^{-1}$. The $\gamma^*p$ cross section is presented in the kinematic range $2<Q^2<70 \gev^2$, $35<W<145 \gev$ and ${|t|}<0.6 \gev^2$. The cross sections as functions of $Q^2$, $W$, $t$ and helicity angle $\theta_h$ are compared to cross sections for other vector mesons. The ratios $R$ of the cross sections for longitudinally and transversely polarized virtual photons are presented as functions of $Q^2$ and $W$. The data are also compared to predictions from theoretical models.
Exclusive GAMMA* P --> PHI P cross section in the Q**2 range 2 to 3 GeV**2.
Exclusive GAMMA* P --> PHI P cross section in the Q**2 range 3 to 5 GeV**2.
Exclusive GAMMA* P --> PHI P cross section in the Q**2 range 5 to 9 GeV**2.
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