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.
We present results on vector-meson photoproduction via γp→Vp in the LBL-SLAC 82-in. hydrogen bubble chamber exposed to a linearly polarized photon beam at 2.8, 4.7, and 9.3 GeV. We find ρ0 production to have the characteristics of a diffractive process, i.e., a cross section decreasing slowly with energy and a differential cross section with slope of ∼ 6.5 GeV−2. Within errors the ρ0 production amplitudes are entirely due to natural-parity exchange. s-channel helicity is conserved to a high degree in the γ→ρ0 transition. We find evidence for small helicity-flip amplitudes for ππ pairs in the ρ0 region. Photoproduction of ω mesons is separated into its natural- (σN) and unnatural- (σU) parity-exchange contributions. The Eγ and t dependence and the spin density matrix of the unnatural-parity-exchange contribution are consistent with a one-pion-exchange process. The natural-parity-exchange part has characteristics similar to ρ0 production. At 9.3 GeV the ratio of σ(ρ0) to σN(ω) is ∼ 7. The slope of the φ differential cross section is ∼ 4.5 GeV−2, smaller than that of ρ0 and ω production. Natural-parity exchange is the main contributor to φ production. No evidence for higher-mass vector mesons is found in ππ, πππ, or KK¯ final states. The s and t dependences of Compton scattering as calculated from ρ, ω, and φ photoproduction using vector-meson dominance agree with experiment, but the predicted Compton cross section is too small by a factor of 2.
No description provided.
No description provided.
No description provided.
Forum