Vector Color Transparency

Abstract

Color transparency (CT) in high momentum transfer $(e,e' \vec p)$ reactions is explored. The spin of the proton and photon are treated explicitly, hence the name ``Vector CT". The Dirac distorted wave impulse approximation is used as a starting point; then CT effects are embedded. A hadronic basis is used to describe the struck proton as a wavepacket of physical baryon resonances. The effects of the wavepacket expansion on the normal component of the ejectile polarization, which vanishes in the limit of full CT, are investigated. This formalism is also applied to study CT effects in total cross sections, individual separated nuclear response functions, Fermi motion of the initial nucleon, non-zero size of the initial wavepacket and the effects of relativistic lower components. We show that including CT reduces the violations of current conservation (CC), a typical problem in calculations of this kind. The energy dependence of the normal polarization in $(e,e' \vec p)$ reactions is found to be slow. However, a measurement of the normal transverse response in a heavy nucleus, such as $^{208}Pb$ seems to afford the opportunity to see CT at quite low momentum transfers. The effects of Fermi motion are investigated, and choosing the momentum of the struck nucleon to be large leads to significant violations of CC.