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A Determination of the Neutron Spin Structure Function

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/815295· OSTI ID:815295
The authors report the results of the experiment E142 which measured the spin dependent structure function of the neutron, g{sub 1}{sup n}(x, Q{sup 2}). The experiment was carried out at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center by measuring an asymmetry in the deep inelastic scattering of polarized electrons from a polarized {sup 3}He target, at electron energies from 19 to 26 GeV. The structure function was determined over the kinematic range 0.03 < BJorken x < 0.6 and 1.0 < Q{sup 2} < 5.5 (GeV/c){sup 2}. An evaluation of the integral {integral}{sub 0}{sup 1} g{sub 1}{sup n}(x,Q{sup 2})dx at fixed Q{sup 2} = 2 (GeV/c){sup 2} yields the final result {Lambda}{sub 1}{sup n} = -0.032 {+-} 0.006 (stat.) {+-} 0.009 (syst.). This result, when combined with the integral of the proton spin structure function measured in other experiments, confirms the fundamental Bjorken sum rule with O({alpha}{sub s}{sup 3}) corrections to within one standard deviation. This is a major success for perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics. Some ancillary results include the findings that the Ellis-Jaffe sum rule for the neutron is violated at the 2 {sigma} level, and that the total contribution of the quarks to the helicity of the nucleon is 0.36 {+-} 0.10. The strange sea polarization is estimated to be small and negative, {Delta}s = -0.07 {+-} 0.04.
Research Organization:
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Menlo Park, CA (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
815295
Report Number(s):
SLAC-R-639
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English