Relativistic effects and two-body currents in (H)((-->)e(')p)n using out-of-plane detection

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Physics
• Quantum Chromodynamics
• Particle Physics

Background:

• Deuteron electrodisintegration is a fundamental process for understanding nuclear forces.
• Previous models often neglected relativistic effects and complex interactions.
• Out-of-plane measurements offer a novel approach to probe these phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure specific interference responses in deuteron electrodisintegration.
• To investigate the impact of relativistic effects, final-state interactions, and meson-exchange currents.
• To demonstrate the utility of out-of-plane techniques for disentangling these effects.

Main Methods:

• Experiments conducted at the MIT-Bates Linear Accelerator using out-of-plane magnetic spectrometers (OOPS).
• Measurement of the (2)H(e,e'p)n reaction.
• Simultaneous extraction of longitudinal-transverse (f(LT), f(')(LT)) and transverse-transverse (f(TT)) interference responses.

Main Results:

• Data collected at a missing momentum of 210 MeV/c and Q2 = 0.15 (GeV/c)(2).
• Observed strong effects attributed to relativity and final-state interactions.
• Confirmed the importance of two-body meson-exchange currents and isobar configurations.

Conclusions:

• The out-of-plane technique effectively disentangles various contributing effects in deuteron electrodisintegration.
• Relativistic effects and final-state interactions play a crucial role and are observable.
• The findings provide critical data for refining nuclear models and understanding fundamental nuclear forces.