The total cross sections σT of p, p¯, π±, and K± on hydrogen and deuterium have been measured between 6 and 22 GeVc at intervals of 2GeVc to an accuracy greater than previously reported. The method utilized was a conventional good-geometry transmission experiment with scintillation counters subtending various solid angles at targets of liquid H2 and D2. With the increase in statistical accuracy of the data, it was found that a previously adopted procedure of linearly extrapolating to zero solid angle the partial cross sections measured at finite solid angles was not a sufficiently accurate procedure from which to deduce σT. The particle-neutron cross sections are derived by applying the Glauber screening correction to the difference between the particle-deuteron and particle-proton cross sections. The cross sections σT(π+d) and σT(π−d) are equal at all measured momenta, which confirms the validity of charge symmetry up to 20GeVc. Results are presented showing the variation of cross sections with momentum; evidence is presented for a small but significant decrease in σT(pp) [and σT(pn)] in the momentum region above 12GeVc.

We have measured π±p and pp elastic differential cross sections in the range |cosθc.m.|<0.35 for incident momenta from 2 to 9.7 GeV/c for π−p and pp and from 2 to 6.3 GeV/c for π+p. We find that the fixed-c.m.-angle πp differential cross sections cannot be described as simple functions of s. The data are compared to the energy and angular dependence predicted by the constituent model of Gunion, Brodsky, and Blankenbecler.

We report measurements of the exclusive electroproduction of $K^+\Lambda$ and $K^+\Sigma^0$ final states from a proton target using the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The separated structure functions $\sigma_T$, $\sigma_L$, $\sigma_{TT}$, and $\sigma_{LT}$ were extracted from the $\Phi$- and $\epsilon$-dependent differential cross sections taken with electron beam energies of 2.567, 4.056, and 4.247 GeV. This analysis represents the first $\sigma_L/\sigma_T$ separation with the CLAS detector, and the first measurement of the kaon electroproduction structure functions away from parallel kinematics. The data span a broad range of momentum transfers from $0.5\leq Q^2\leq 2.8$ GeV$^2$ and invariant energy from $1.6\leq W\leq 2.4$ GeV, while spanning nearly the full center-of-mass angular range of the kaon. The separated structure functions reveal clear differences between the production dynamics for the $\Lambda$ and $\Sigma^0$ hyperons. These results provide an unprecedented data sample with which to constrain current and future models for the associated production of strangeness, which will allow for a better understanding of the underlying resonant and non-resonant contributions to hyperon production.

Spin transfer from circularly polarized real photons to recoiling hyperons has been measured for the reactions $\vec\gamma + p \to K^+ + \vec\Lambda$ and $\vec\gamma + p \to K^+ + \vec\Sigma^0$. The data were obtained using the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab for center-of-mass energies $W$ between 1.6 and 2.53 GeV, and for $-0.85<\cos\theta_{K^+}^{c.m.}< +0.95$. For the $\Lambda$, the polarization transfer coefficient along the photon momentum axis, $C_z$, was found to be near unity for a wide range of energy and kaon production angles. The associated transverse polarization coefficient, $C_x$, is smaller than $C_z$ by a roughly constant difference of unity. Most significantly, the {\it total} $\Lambda$ polarization vector, including the induced polarization $P$, has magnitude consistent with unity at all measured energies and production angles when the beam is fully polarized. For the $\Sigma^0$ this simple phenomenology does not hold. All existing hadrodynamic models are in poor agreement with these results.

Photoproduction of the cascade resonances has been investigated in the reactions $\gamma p \to K^+ K^+ (X)$ and $\gamma p \to K^+ K^+ \pi^- (X)$. The mass split of the $\Xi$ doublet is measured to be $5.4\pm 1.8$ MeV/c$^2$, consistent with existing measurements. The differential (total) cross sections for the $\Xi^{-}$ have been determined for photon beam energies from 2.75 to 3.85 (4.75) GeV, and are consistent with a possible production mechanism of $Y^*\to K^+\Xi^-$ through a $t$-channel process. The reaction $\gamma p \to K^+ K^+ \pi^-[\Xi^0]$ has also been investigated in search of excited cascade resonances. No significant signal of excited cascade states other than the $\Xi^-(1530)$ is observed. The cross section results of the $\Xi^-(1530)$ have also been obtained for photon beam energies from 3.35 to 4.75 GeV.

Large-angle π±p elastic-scattering cross sections, measured between 2 and 9 GeV/c in fine intervals of incident momentum and scattering angle, are used to search for cross-section fluctuations occurring for small changes in the center-of-mass energy as suggested by Ericson and Mayer-Kuckuck and by Frautschi. Significant fluctuations are observed.

Measurements are reported of the proton and deuteron spin structure functions g1 at beam energies of 29.1, 16.2, and 9.7 GeV and g2 at a beam energy of 29.1 GeV. The integrals of g1 over x have been evaluated at fixed Q**2 = 3 (GeV/c)**2 using the full data set. The Q**2 dependence of the ratio g1/F1 was studied and found to be small for Q**2 > 1 (GeV/c)**2. Within experimental precision the g2 data are well-described by the Wandzura-Wilczek twist-2 contribution. Twist-3 matrix elements were extracted and compared to theoretical predictions. The asymmetry A2 was measured and found to be significantly smaller than the positivity limit for both proton and deuteron targets. A2 for the proton is found to be positive and inconsistent with zero. Measurements of g1 in the resonance region show strong variations with x and Q**2, consistent with resonant amplitudes extracted from unpolarized data. These data allow us to study the Q**2 dependence of the first moments of g1 below the scaling region.

Differential cross sections have been measured for nucleon-isobar production and elastic scattering in p−p interactions from 6.2 to 29.7 GeVc in the laboratory angle range 8<θsc<265 mrad. N*' s at 1236, 1410, 1500, 1690, and 2190 MeV were observed. Computer fits to the mass spectra under varying assumptions of resonance and background shapes show that conclusions on t and s dependence are only slightly affected despite typical variations in absolute normalization of ± 35%. Logarithmic t slopes in the small- |t| range are ∼15 (GeVc)−2 for the N*(1410), ∼5 (GeVc)−2 for the N*'s at 1500, 1690, and 2190 MeV, and ∼9 (GeVc)−2 for elastic scattering. Also for the small- |t| data, cross sections for N*'s at 1410, 1500, 1690, and 2190 MeV and for elastic scattering vary only slightly with Pinc consistent with the dominance of Pomeranchuk exchange and with diffraction dissociation. A fit of N*(1690) total cross sections to the form σ∝P−n gives n=0.34±0.06, while for elastic scattering n=0.20±0.05. For the N*(1690) the effective Regge trajectory has the slope αeff′(0)=0.38±0.17. When compared with N* production in π−, K−, and p¯ beams these data also agree with approximate factorization of the Pomeranchuk trajectory. N*(1236) cross sections are consistent with other measurements at similar momenta. For −t>1 (GeVc)−2, elastic scattering cross sections decrease approximately as Pinc−2, and they and N*(1500)− and N*(1690)− production cross sections have t slopes consistent with 1.6 (GeVc)−2.

We report results for the virtual photon asymmetry $A_1$ on the nucleon from new Jefferson Lab measurements. The experiment, which used the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer and longitudinally polarized proton ($^{15}$NH$_3$) and deuteron ($^{15}$ND$_3$) targets, collected data with a longitudinally polarized electron beam at energies between 1.6 GeV and 5.7 GeV. In the present paper, we concentrate on our results for $A_1(x,Q^2)$ and the related ratio $g_1/F_1(x,Q^2)$ in the resonance and the deep inelastic regions for our lowest and highest beam energies, covering a range in momentum transfer $Q^2$ from 0.05 to 5.0 GeV$^2$ and in final-state invariant mass $W$ up to about 3 GeV. Our data show detailed structure in the resonance region, which leads to a strong $Q^2$--dependence of $A_1(x,Q^2)$ for $W$ below 2 GeV. At higher $W$, a smooth approach to the scaling limit, established by earlier experiments, can be seen, but $A_1(x,Q^2)$ is not strictly $Q^2$--independent. We add significantly to the world data set at high $x$, up to $x = 0.6$. Our data exceed the SU(6)-symmetric quark model expectation for both the proton and the deuteron while being consistent with a negative $d$-quark polarization up to our highest $x$. This data setshould improve next-to-leading order (NLO) pQCD fits of the parton polarization distributions.

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.