arXiv subjects

COMPASS Collaboration

Publications and source records attributed to COMPASS Collaboration.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2015

Longitudinal double spin asymmetries in single hadron quasi-real photoproduction at high $p_T$

We measured the longitudinal double spin asymmetries $A_{LL}$ for single hadron muo-production off protons and deuterons at photon virtuality $Q^2$ < 1(GeV/$\it c$)$^2$ for transverse hadron momenta $p_T$ in the range 0.7 GeV/$\it c$ to 4 GeV/$\it c$ . They were determined using COMPASS data taken with a polarised muon beam of 160 GeV/$\it c$ or 200 GeV/$\it c$ impinging on polarised $\mathrm{{}^6LiD}$ or $\mathrm{NH_3}$ targets. The experimental asymmetries are compared to next-to-leading order pQCD calculations, and are sensitive to the gluon polarisation $\Delta G$ inside the nucleon in the range of the nucleon momentum fraction carried by gluons $0.05 < x_g < 0.2$.

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arXiv2010

Quark helicity distributions from longitudinal spin asymmetries in muon-proton and muon-deuteron scattering

Double-spin asymmetries for production of charged pions and kaons in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic muon scattering have been measured by the COMPASS experiment at CERN. The data, obtained by scattering a 160 GeV muon beam off a longitudinally polarised NH_3 target, cover a range of the Bjorken variable x between 0.004 and 0.7. A leading order evaluation of the helicity distributions for the three lightest quarks and antiquark flavours derived from these asymmetries and from our previous deuteron data is presented. The resulting values of the sea quark distributions are small and do not show any sizable dependence on x in the range of the measurements. No significant difference is observed between the strange and antistrange helicity distributions, both compatible with zero. The integrated value of the flavour asymmetry of the helicity distribution of the light-quark sea, \Delta u-bar - \Delta d-bar, is found to be slightly positive, about 1.5 standard deviations away from zero.

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arXiv2010

Azimuthal asymmetries of charged hadrons produced by high-energy muons scattered off longitudinally polarised deuterons

Azimuthal asymmetries in semi-inclusive production of positive (h^+) and negative hadrons (h^-) have been measured by scattering 160 GeV muons off longitudinally polarised deuterons at CERN. The asymmetries were decomposed in several terms according to their expected modulation in the azimuthal angle phi of the outgoing hadron. Each term receives contributions from one or several spin and transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution and fragmentation functions. The amplitudes of all phi-modulation terms of the hadron asymmetries integrated over the kinematic variables are found to be consistent with zero within statistical errors, while the constant terms are nonzero and equal for h^+ and h^- within the statistical errors. The dependencies of the phi-modulated terms versus the Bjorken momentum fraction x, the hadron fractional momentum z, and the hadron transverse momentum p_h^T were studied. The x dependence of the constant terms for both positive and negative hadrons is in agreement with the longitudinal double-spin hadron asymmetries, measured in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering. The x dependence of the sin phi-modulation term is less pronounced than that in the corresponding HERMES data. All other dependencies of the phi-modulation amplitudes are consistent with zero within the statistical errors.

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arXiv2009

Flavour Separation of Helicity Distributions from Deep Inelastic Muon-Deuteron Scattering

We present a LO evaluation of helicity densities of valence, \Delta u_v+\Delta d_v, non-strange sea, \Delta\bar{u}+\Delta\bar{d}, and strange quarks, \Delta s (assumed to be equal to \Delta\bar{s}). They have been obtained from the inclusive asymmetry A_{3,d} and the semi-inclusive asymmetries A^{\pi+}_{1,d}, A^{\pi-}_{1,d}, A^{K+}_{1,d}, A^{K-}_{1,d} measured in polarised deep inelastic muon-deuteron scattering. The full deuteron statistics of COMPASS (years 2002-2004 and 2006) has been used. The data cover the range Q^2 > 1 (GeV/c)^2 and 0.004<x<0.3. Both non-strange densities are found to be in a good agreement with previous measurements. The distribution of \Delta s(x) is compatible with zero in the whole measured range, in contrast to the shape of the strange quark helicity distribution obtained in most LO and NLO QCD fits. The sensitivity of the values of \Delta s(x) upon the choice of fragmentation functions used in the derivation is discussed.

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arXiv2009

Gluon Polarisation in the Nucleon and Longitudinal Double Spin Asymmetries from Open Charm Muoproduction

The gluon polarisation in the nucleon has been determined by detecting charm production via D0 meson decay to charged K and pi in polarised muon scattering off a longitudinally polarised deuteron target. The data were taken by the COMPASS Collaboration at CERN between 2002 and 2006 and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.8 fb^-1. The dominant underlying process of charm production is the photon-gluon fusion to a cc-bar pair. A leading order QCD approach gives an average gluon polarisation of (Delta g/g)_x= -0.49 +- 0.27(stat) +- 0.11(syst) at a scale mu^2 ~ 13 (GeV/c)^2 and at an average gluon momentum fraction (x) ~ 0.11. The longitudinal cross-section asymmetry for D0 production is presented in bins of the transverse momentum and the energy of the D0 meson.

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arXiv2008

Direct Measurement of the Gluon Polarisation in the Nucleon via Charmed Meson Production

We present the first measurement of the gluon polarisation in the nucleon based on the photon-gluon fusion process tagged by charmed meson production and decay to charged K and pi. The data were collected in polarised muon scattering off a polarised deuteron target by the COMPASS collaboration at CERN during 2002-2004. The result of this LO analysis is _x = -0.47 +- 0.44 (stat) +- 0.15 (syst) at ~= 0.11 and a scale mu^2 ~ 13 (GeV/c)^2.

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arXiv2007

The Polarised Valence Quark Distribution from semi-inclusive DIS

The semi-inclusive difference asymmetry A^{h^{+}-h^{-}} for hadrons of opposite charge has been measured by the COMPASS experiment at CERN. The data were collected in the years 2002-2004 using a 160 GeV polarised muon beam scattered off a large polarised ^6LiD target and cover the range 0.006 < x < 0.7 and 1 < Q^2 < 100 (GeV/c)^2. In leading order QCD (LO) the asymmetry A_d^{h^{+}-h^{-}} measures the valence quark polarisation and provides an evaluation of the first moment of Delta u_v + Delta d_v which is found to be equal to 0.40 +- 0.07 (stat.) +- 0.05 (syst.) over the measured range of x at Q^2 = 10 (GeV/c)^2. When combined with the first moment of g_1^d previously measured on the same data, this result favours a non-symmetric polarisation of light quarks Delta u-bar = - Delta d-bar at a confidence level of two standard deviations, in contrast to the often assumed symmetric scenario Delta u-bar = Delta d-bar = Delta s-bar = Delta s.

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arXiv2007

Transversity Measurements at COMPASS

The measurement of transverse spin effects in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering is an important part of the COMPASS physics program. From the analysis of the 2002-2004 data, new results for the transverse target spin asymmetry of z-ordered identified pion and kaon pairs are presented. In addition, a first result for the transverse target spin asymmetry of exclusively produced rho^0 mesons on the deuteron is shown.

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arXiv2007

Double spin asymmetry in exclusive rho^0 muoproduction at COMPASS

The longitudinal double spin asymmetry A_1^rho for exclusive leptoproduction of rho^0 mesons, mu + N -> mu + N + rho, is studied using the COMPASS 2002 and 2003 data. The measured reaction is incoherent exclusive rho^0 production on polarised deuterons. The Q^2 and x dependence of A_1^rho is presented in a wide kinematical range: 3x10^-3 < Q^2 < 7 (GeV/c)^2 and 5x10^-5 < x < 0.05. The presented results are the first measurements of A_1^rho at small Q2 (Q2 < 0.1 (GeV/c)^2) and small x (x < 3x10^-3). The asymmetry is in general compatible with zero in the whole kinematical range.

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arXiv2007

The COMPASS Experiment at CERN

The COMPASS experiment makes use of the CERN SPS high-intensitymuon and hadron beams for the investigation of the nucleon spin structure and the spectroscopy of hadrons. One or more outgoing particles are detected in coincidence with the incoming muon or hadron. A large polarized target inside a superconducting solenoid is used for the measurements with the muon beam. Outgoing particles are detected by a two-stage, large angle and large momentum range spectrometer. The setup is built using several types of tracking detectors, according to the expected incident rate, required space resolution and the solid angle to be covered. Particle identification is achieved using a RICH counter and both hadron and electromagnetic calorimeters. The setup has been successfully operated from 2002 onwards using a muon beam. Data with a hadron beam were also collected in 2004. This article describes the main features and performances of the spectrometer in 2004; a short summary of the 2006 upgrade is also given.

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arXiv2005

Gluon polarization in the nucleon from quasi-real photoproduction of high-pT hadron pairs

We present a determination of the gluon polarization Delta G/G in the nucleon, based on the helicity asymmetry of quasi-real photoproduction events, Q^2<1(GeV/c)^2, with a pair of large transverse-momentum hadrons in the final state. The data were obtained by the COMPASS experiment at CERN using a 160 GeV polarized muon beam scattered on a polarized 6-LiD target. The helicity asymmetry for the selected events is = 0.002 +- 0.019(stat.) +- 0.003(syst.). From this value, we obtain in a leading-order QCD analysis Delta G/G=0.024 +- 0.089(stat.) +- 0.057(syst.) at x_g = 0.095 and mu^2 =~ 3 (GeV}/c)^2.

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