We present results on photoproduction of ϱ 0 and ω in the reactions γ p→ π + π − p and γ p→ π + π − π 0 p by tagged photons in the energy ranges 20 to 70 GeV and 20 to 45 GeV, respectively. The production of the ϱ 0 shows dominantly the characteristics of a diffractive process with respect to the E γ and t dependence of the cross section and the spin density matrix. The ϱ 0 photoproduction yields on average over the photon energy range a total cross section of σ ( γ p→ ϱ 0 p) = 9.4±0.1 μ b with an additional systematic error of ±1 μ b, and average slope parameters of the t distribution d σ /d t ≈exp(− b | t | + ct 2 ), of b =9.1±0.1 GeV −2 and c = 3.1 ±±0.2 GeV −4 . The shape of the ϱ 0 peak in the π + π − invariant spectra shows a skewing similar to that observed at lower energies. The photoproduction of ω is also consistent with a diffractive process and has a cross section of σ ( γ p→ ω p) = 1.2± 0.1 μ b with an additional systematic error of ±0.2 μ b. The average slope parameters of the t distribution are b =8.3 ± 1.3 GeV −2 and c = 3.4±2.6 GeV −4 .
The exclusive photoproduction of J/psi mesons, gamma p->J/psi p, has been studied in ep collisions with the ZEUS detector at HERA, in the kinematic range 20<W<290 GeV, where W is the photon-proton centre-of-mass energy. The J/psi mesons were reconstructed in the muon and the electron decay channels using integrated luminosities of 38 pb^-1 and 55 pb^-1, respectively. The helicity structure of J/psi production shows that the hypothesis of s-channel helicity conservation is satisfied at the two standard-deviation level. The total cross section and the differential cross-section dsigma/dt, where t is the squared four-momentum transfer at the proton vertex, are presented as a function of W, for |t|<1.8 GeV^2. The t distribution exhibits an exponential shape with a slope parameter increasing logarithmically with W with a value b=4.15 \pm 0.05 (stat.)^{+0.30}_{-0.18} (syst.) GeV^-2 at W=90 GeV. The effective parameters of the Pomeron trajectory are alphapom(0) = 1.200 \pm 0.009(stat.)^{+0.004}_{-0.010}(syst.) and alphappom= 0.115 \pm 0.018(stat.)^{+0.008}_{-0.015}(syst.) GeV^-2.
A ϱπ enhancement with mass 1.67 ± 0.02GeV and width 0.16 ± 0.02GeV is observed in the channel γp→pπ + π − π 0 . Assuming an incoherent background, the cross section × branching ratio is 100 ± 20 nb. A spin-parity analysis favours J P = 1 − . The enhancement is most simply interpreted as a radial recurrence of the ω meson.
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.
The spin density matrix element R04_00 and ratios of longitudinal and transversely polarized photons as a function of W for the Q**2 region 2 to 5 GeV**2.
Diffractive photoproduction of vector mesons, gamma p --> V Y, where Y is a proton-dissociative system, has been measured in ep interactions with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 25 pb^-1. The differential cross section, ds/dt, is presented for -t<12 GeV^2, where t is the square of the four-momentum transferred to the vector meson. The data span the range in photon-proton centre-of-mass energy, W, from 80 GeV to 120 GeV. The t distributions are well fit by a power law, ds/dt ~ (-t)^{-n}. The slope of the Pomeron trajectory, measured from the W dependence of the rho^0 and phi cross sections in bins of t, is consistent with zero. The ratios ds_(gamma p --> phi Y)/dt to ds_(gamma p --> rho^0 Y)/dt and ds_(gamma p --> J/psi Y)/dt to ds_(gamma p --> rho^0 Y)/dt increase with increasing -t. Decay-angle analyses for rho^0, phi and J/psi mesons have been carried out. For the rho^0 and phi mesons, contributions from single and double helicity flip are observed. The results are compared to expectations of theoretical models.
Differential cross section for RHO0 production. The second DSYS error is due to the modelling of the proton-dissociation process.
Differential cross section for PHI production. The second DSYS error is due to the modelling of the proton-dissociation process.
Differential cross section for J/PSI production. The second DSYS error is due to the modelling of the proton-dissociation process.
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Photoproduction of 2-jet events is studied with the H1 detector at HERA. Parton cross sections are extracted from the data by an unfolding method using leading order parton-jet correlations of a QCD generator. The gluon distribution in the photon is derived in the fractional momentum range $0.04\le x_\gamma \le 1$ at the average factorization scale $75$ GeV$~2$.
A study is presented of the process gamma p -->XY, where there is a large rapidity gap between the systems X and Y. Measurements are made of the differential cross section as a function of the invariant mass mx of the system produced at the photon vertex. Results are presented at centre of mass energies of W_gp = 187 GeV and W_gp = 231 GeV, both where the proton dominantly remains intact and, for the first time, where it dissociates. Both the centre of mass energy and the mx~2 dependence of HERA data and those from a fixed target experiment may simultaneously be described in a triple-Regge model. The low mass photon dissociation process is found to be dominated by diffraction, though a sizable subleading contribution is present at larger masses. The pomeron intercept is extracted and found to be alpha_pom(0) = 1.068 \pm 0.016 (stat.) \pm 0.022 (syst.) \pm 0.041 (model), in good agreement with values obtained from total and elastic hadronic and photoproduction cross sections. The diffractive contribution to the process gamma p --> Xp with mx~2 / W_gp~2 < 0.05 is measured to be 22.2 \pm 0.6 (stat.) \pm 2.6 (syst.) \pm 1.7 (model) % of the total gamma p cross section at W_gp = 187 GeV.
The reactionγp→π+π−π0π0p (excludingωπ0 production) has been studied for photon energies in the range 20–70 GeV. A peak is seen in the 4π mass spectrum at ∼1.66 GeV with a width of ∼0.3 GeV which is identified with theρ′(1600). Maximum likelihood fits show that the peak is dominantly inρ±π∓π0 withB(ρ′→ρ0π0π0)/B(ρ′→ρ±π∓π0)<0.1. This indicates anI=1ρπ final-state interaction. However, no evidence is found for any resonant ρπ state such as anA1 orπ′.
This paper reports studies of the reactions γp→ρ π π πp and γp→ρ ρ πp. In particular a peak is reported in the ρ ρ π mass spectrum with closely similar mass and width to those of the ω ρ π peak previously reported in the reaction γp→ω ρ πp. The ratio of production cross sections is found to be ρ ρ π/ω ρ π=0.96±0.19, in serious disagreement with the expectation from Vector Meson Dominance. A possible explanation is indicated.