Three-jet production in deep inelastic ep scattering and photoproduction was investigated with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 127 pb-1. Measurements of differential cross sections are presented as functions of angular correlations between the three jets in the final state and the proton-beam direction. These correlations provide a stringent test of perturbative QCD and show sensitivity to the contributions from different colour configurations. Fixed-order perturbative QCD calculations assuming the values of the colour factors C_F, C_A and T_F as derived from a variety of gauge groups were compared to the measurements to study the underlying gauge group symmetry. The measured angular correlations in the deep inelastic ep scattering and photoproduction regimes are consistent with the admixture of colour configurations as predicted by SU(3) and disfavour other symmetry groups, such as SU(N) in the limit of large N.
Integrated 3-jet photoproduction cross section.
Integrated 3-jet cross sections in NC DIS.
Normalized differential 3-jet photoproduction cross section as a function of THETA(H).
Deep inelastic scattering and its diffractive component, ep -> e'gamma*p ->e'XN, have been studied at HERA with the ZEUS detector using an integrated luminosity of 4.2 pb-1. The measurement covers a wide range in the gamma*p c.m. energy W (37 - 245 GeV), photon virtuality Q2 (2.2 - 80 GeV2) and mass Mx. The diffractive cross section for Mx > 2 GeV rises strongly with W: the rise is steeper with increasing Q2. The latter observation excludes the description of diffractive deep inelastic scattering in terms of the exchange of a single Pomeron. The ratio of diffractive to total cross section is constant as a function of W, in contradiction to the expectation of Regge phenomenology combined with a naive extension of the optical theorem to gamma*p scattering. Above Mx of 8 GeV, the ratio is flat with Q2, indicating a leading-twist behaviour of the diffractive cross section. The data are also presented in terms of the diffractive structure function, F2D(3)(beta,xpom,Q2), of the proton. For fixed beta, the Q2 dependence of xpom F2D(3) changes with xpom in violation of Regge factorisation. For fixed xpom, xpom F2D(3) rises as beta -> 0, the rise accelerating with increasing Q2. These positive scaling violations suggest substantial contributions of perturbative effects in the diffractive DIS cross section.
Measurement of the proton structure function F2 at Q**2 = 2.7 GeV**2.
Measurement of the proton structure function F2 at Q**2 = 4.0 GeV**2.
Measurement of the proton structure function F2 at Q**2 = 6.0 GeV**2.
The exclusive electroproduction of J/psi mesons, ep->epJ/psi, has been studied with the ZEUS detector at HERA for virtualities of the exchanged photon in the ranges 0.15<Q^2<0.8 GeV^2 and 2<Q^2<100 GeV^2 using integrated luminosities of 69 pb^-1 and 83 pb^-1, respectively.The photon-proton centre-of-mass energy was in the range 30<W<220 GeV and the squared four-momentum transfer at the proton vertex |t|<1.The cross sections and decay angular distributions are presented as functions of Q^2, W and t. The effective parameters of the Pomeron trajectory are in agreement with those found in J/psi photoproduction. The spin-density matrix elements, calculated from the decay angular distributions, are consistent with the hypothesis of s-channel helicity conservation. The ratio of the longitudinal to transverse cross sections, sigma_L/sigma_T, grows with Q^2, whilst no dependence on W or t is observed. The results are in agreement with perturbative QCD calculations and exhibit a strong sensitivity to the gluon distribution in the proton.
Cross sections for exclusive J/PSI production as a function of W in the Q**2 region 0.15 to 0.18 GeV**2.
Cross sections for exclusive J/PSI production as a function of W in the Q**2 region 2 to 5 GeV**2.
Cross sections for exclusive J/PSI production as a function of W in the Q**2 region 5 to 10 GeV**2.
The photon-proton total cross section has been measured in the process e+ p -> e+ gamma p -> e+ X with the ZEUS detector at HERA. Events were collected with photon virtuality Q^2 < 0.02 GeV^2 and average gamma-p center-of-mass energy W_{gamma p} = 209 GeV in a dedicated run, designed to control systematic effects, with an integrated luminosity of 49 nb^{-1}. The measured total cross section is sigma_{tot}^{gamma p} = 174 +- 1 (stat.) +- 13 (syst.) microbarns. The energy dependence of the cross section is compatible with parameterizations of high-energy p-p and p-pbar data.
Total GAMMA P cross section.
Elastic and proton-dissociative photoproduction of $\rho^0$, $\phi$ and $J/\psi$ vector mesons ($\gamma p\to Vp$, $\gamma p\to VN$, respectively) have been measured in e^+p interactions at HERA up to -t=3 GeV$^2$, where t is the four-momentum transfer squared at the photon-vector meson vertex. The analysis is based on a data sample in which photoproduction reactions were tagged by detection of the scattered positron in a special-purpose calorimeter. This limits the photon virtuality, Q^2, to values less than 0.01 GeV$^2$, and selects a $\gamma p$ average center-of-mass energy of <W> = 94 GeV. Results for the differential cross sections, d$\sigma$/d$t$, for $\rho^0$, $\phi$ and $J/\psi$ mesons are presented and compared to the results of recent QCD calculations. Results are also presented for the t-dependence of the pion-pair invariant-mass distribution in the $\rho^0$ mass region and of the spin-density matrix elements determined from the decay-angle distributions. The Pomeron trajectory has been derived from measurements of the W dependence of the elastic differential cross sections d$\sigma$/d$t$ for both $\rho^0$ and $\phi$ mesons.
Differential cross section for proton-dissociative RHO0 photoproduction.
Differential cross section for elastic RHO0 photoproduction.
The ratio of the elastic to proton-dissociative cross sections for RHO0 photoproduction.
The cross section for the photoproduction of events containing three jets with a three-jet invariant mass of M_3J > 50 GeV has been measured with the ZEUS detector at HERA. The three-jet angular distributions are inconsistent with a uniform population of the available phase space but are well described by parton shower models and O(alpha alpha_s^2) pQCD calculations. Comparisons with the parton shower model indicate a strong contribution from initial state radiation as well as a sensitivity to the effects of colour coherence.
Cross section in the specified kinematic range.
The measured 3-jet cross-section w.r.t. the 3-jet invariant mass.
The measured distribution in THETA(P=3).
Measurements of the proton structure function $F_2$ for $0.6 < Q^2 < 17 {GeV}^2$ and $1.2 \times 10^{-5} < x <1.9 \times 10^{-3}$ from ZEUS 1995 shifted vertex data are presented. From ZEUS $F_2$ data the slopes $dF_2/d\ln Q^2$ at fixed $x$ and $d\ln F_2/d\ln(1/x)$ for $x < 0.01$ at fixed $Q^2$ are derived. For the latter E665 data are also used. The transition region in $Q^2$ is explored using the simplest non-perturbative models and NLO QCD. The data at very low $Q^2$ $\leq 0.65 {GeV}^2$ are described successfully by a combination of generalised vector meson dominance and Regge theory. From a NLO QCD fit to ZEUS data the gluon density in the proton is extracted in the range $3\times 10^{-5} < x < 0.7$. Data from NMC and BCDMS constrain the fit at large $x$. Assuming the NLO QCD description to be valid down to $Q^2\sim 1 {GeV}^2$, it is found that the $q\bar{q}$ sea distribution is still rising at small $x$ and the lowest $Q^2$ values whereas the gluon distribution is strongly suppressed.
F2.
F2.
F2.
Exclusive production of $\rho^0$ and $J/\psi$ mesons in e^+ p collisions has been studied with the ZEUS detector in the kinematic range $0.25 < Q^2 < 50 GeV^2, 20 < W < 167 GeV$ for the $\rho^0$ data and $2 < Q^2 < 40 GeV^2, 50 < W < 150 GeV$ for the $J/\psi$ data. Cross sections for exclusive $\rho^0$ and $J/\psi$ production have been measured as a function of $Q^2, W$ and $t$. The spin-density matrix elements $r^{04}_{00}, r^1_{1-1}$ and $Re r^{5}_{10}$ have been determined for exclusive $\rho^0$ production as well as $r^{04}_{00}$ and $r^{04}_{1-1}$ for exclusive $J/\psi$ production. The results are discussed in the context of theoretical models invoking soft and hard phenomena.
Exclusive RHO0 electro- and photo- production and cross sections as a function of Q**2 from the BPC data set.
Exclusive RHO0 electro- and photo- production cross section as a function of W from the BPC data set.
Exclusive RHO0 electro- and photo- production cross sections as a function of W from the DIS data set.
The DIS diffractive cross section, $d\sigma^{diff}_{\gamma^* p \to XN}/dM_X$, has been measured in the mass range $M_X < 15$ GeV for $\gamma^*p$ c.m. energies $60 < W < 200$ GeV and photon virtualities $Q^2 = 7$ to 140 GeV$^2$. For fixed $Q^2$ and $M_X$, the diffractive cross section rises rapidly with $W$, $d\sigma^{diff}_{\gamma^*p \to XN}(M_X,W,Q^2)/dM_X \propto W^{a^{diff}}$ with $a^{diff} = 0.507 \pm 0.034 (stat)^{+0.155}_{-0.046}(syst)$ corresponding to a $t$-averaged pomeron trajectory of $\bar{\alphapom} = 1.127 \pm 0.009 (stat)^{+0.039}_{-0.012} (syst)$ which is larger than $\bar{\alphapom}$ observed in hadron-hadron scattering. The $W$ dependence of the diffractive cross section is found to be the same as that of the total cross section for scattering of virtual photons on protons. The data are consistent with the assumption that the diffractive structure function $F^{D(3)}_2$ factorizes according to $\xpom F^{D(3)}_2 (\xpom,\beta,Q^2) = (x_0/ \xpom)^n F^{D(2)}_2(\beta,Q^2)$. They are also consistent with QCD based models which incorporate factorization breaking. The rise of $\xpom F^{D(3)}_2$ with decreasing $\xpom$ and the weak dependence of $F^{D(2)}_2$ on $Q^2$ suggest a substantial contribution from partonic interactions.
Cross section for diffractive scattering.
Cross section for diffractive scattering.
Cross section for diffracitve scattering.
Elastic and proton-dissociative rho0 photoproduction (gamma p-->rho0 p,gamma p -->rho0 N,with rho0-->pi+pi-) has been studied in ep interactions at HERA for gamma-p centre-of-mass energies in the range 50<W<100 GeV and for |t|<0.5 GeV2; the results on the p-dissociative reaction are presented for masses of the dissociated proton system in the range MN^2<0.1W^2.For the elastic process,the pi+pi- invariant mass spectrum has been investigated as a function of t. As in fixed target experiments, the rho0 resonance shape is asymmetric;this asymmetry decreases with increasing |t|.The cross section has been studied as a function of W; a fit to the resonant part with the form W^a gives a=0.16\pm0.06(stat.) +0.11-0.15(syst.). The resonant part of the gamma p-->pi+pi- p cross section is 11.2\pm 0.1(stat.)+1.1-1.2 (syst.) mub at <W>=71.7 GeV. The t dependence of the cross section can be described by a function of the type Ae^(-b|t|+ct^2) with b=10.9\pm0.3(stat.)+1.0-0.5(syst.)GeV-2 and c=2.7\pm0.9(stat.)+1.9-1.7(syst.) GeV-4. The t dependence has also been studied as a function of W and a value of the slope of the pomeron trajectory 0.23\pm0.15(stat.)+0.10-0.07(syst.)GeV-2 has been deduced. The rho spin density matrix elements r^04_00,r^04_1-1 and Re[r^04_10] have been measured and found to be consistent with expectations based on SCHC. For p-dissociative pi+pi- photoproduction in the rho0 mass range, the distributions of the two-pion invariant mass, W and the polar and azimuthal angles of the pions in the helicity frame are the same within errors as those for the elastic process. The t distribution has been fitted to an exponential function with a slope parameter 5.8\pm0.3(stat.)\pm0.5(syst.)GeV-2. The ratio of the elastic to p-dissociative rho0 photoproduction cross section is 2.0\pm0.2(stat.)\pm0.7(syst.).
Integrated elastic rho0 photoproduction cross section.
Integrated elastic pi+ pi- photoproduction cross section.
Differential T distribution. Statistical errors only.