Deep Inelastic Exclusive $$\rho^0$$ Production using 485-GeV Muons
- Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)
Neutral vector mesons share the quantum numbers as the photon, consequently, they are produced copiously in diffractive interactions of photons. The lightest of these, the $p^0$ meson, have been studied in the absorption of high energy virtual photons on hydrogen and deuterium. The mass spectrum, decay distribution, and momentum transfer to the target nucleon has been studied as a function of the kinematic variables. The interference of the two-pion resonance and continuum is constant as a function of the virtual photon mass, $Q^2$ • The $p^0$ polarization changes from purely transverse at low $Q^2$ to predominantly longitudinal at high $Q^2$. The azimuthal decay distribution conforms to the expected form, including terms for transverse-transverse and transverse-longitudinal interference. The diffractive slope parameter declines only slightly with $Q^2$ , indicating that for $Q^2$ up to approximately 4 Ge$V^2$ , production of exclusive p0 mesons is_ a diffractive process .
- Research Organization:
- Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-07CH11359
- OSTI ID:
- 1372865
- Report Number(s):
- FERMILAB-THESIS-1992-24; UMI-92-20144; 343696
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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