New results for the double spin asymmetry $A_1^{\rm p}$ and the proton longitudinal spin structure function $g_1^{\rm p}$ are presented. They were obtained by the COMPASS collaboration using polarised 200 GeV muons scattered off a longitudinally polarised NH$_3$ target. The data were collected in 2011 and complement those recorded in 2007 at 160\,GeV, in particular at lower values of $x$. They improve the statistical precision of $g_1^{\rm p}(x)$ by about a factor of two in the region $x\lesssim 0.02$. A next-to-leading order QCD fit to the $g_1$ world data is performed. It leads to a new determination of the quark spin contribution to the nucleon spin, $\Delta \Sigma$ ranging from 0.26 to 0.36, and to a re-evaluation of the first moment of $g_1^{\rm p}$. The uncertainty of $\Delta \Sigma$ is mostly due to the large uncertainty in the present determinations of the gluon helicity distribution. A new evaluation of the Bjorken sum rule based on the COMPASS results for the non-singlet structure function $g_1^{\rm NS}(x,Q^2)$ yields as ratio of the axial and vector coupling constants $|g_{\rm A}/g_{\rm V}| = 1.22 \pm 0.05~({\rm stat.}) \pm 0.10~({\rm syst.})$, which validates the sum rule to an accuracy of about 9\%.
Values of $A_1^{\rm p}$ and $g_1^{\rm p}$ for the 2011 COMPASS data at 200 GeV in ($x$, $Q^2$) bins.
Values of $A_1^{\rm p}$ and $g_1^{\rm p}$ for the 2011 COMPASS data at 200 GeV in $x$ bins averaged over $Q^2$.
Values of $A_1^{\rm p}$ for the 2007 COMPASS data at 160 GeV in ($x$, $Q^2$) bins.
: We have measured the spin-dependent structure function $g_1~p$ of the proton in deep inelastic scattering of polarized muons off polarized protons, in the kinematic range $0.003<x<0.7$ and $1\,\mbox{GeV}~2<Q~2<60\,\mbox{GeV}~2$. Its first moment, $\int_0~1 g_1~p(x) dx $, is found to be $0.136 \pm 0.011\,(\mbox{stat.})\pm 0.011\,(\mbox{syst.})$ at $Q~2=10\,\mbox{GeV}~2$. This value is smaller than the prediction of the Ellis--Jaffe sum rule by two standard deviations, and is consistent with previous measurements. A combined analysis of all available proton, deuteron and neutron data confirms the Bjorken sum rule to within $10\%$ of the theoretical value.
Results on the virtual photon proton asymmetry.
Results on the spin structure function of the proton.
Data for g1 at fixed Q**2 = 10 GeV (assuming no Q**2 dependence of A1).