Structure of the Neutron

Sebastian Kuhn, Old Dominion University

Over the last four decades, an extensive data set on the polarized and unpolarized structure functions of the proton has been collected at accelerators around the world, from low to extremely high momentum transfer Q2 and from very low x all the way close to x = 1. In contrast, much less is known about the structure of the neutron. This is due to the lack of a free neutron target and the model uncertainties for the extraction of neutron structure data from measurements on nuclei like deuterium and helium-3. Some progress can be made through the comparison of data from different nuclei, especially in the case of spin structure functions. For unpolarized structure functions at the highest x, one has to either test and refine models of nuclear modifications, or choose an experimental signature that minimizes such nuclear effect. In my talk, I will describe several new developments in this area through new electron scattering experiments at the Jefferson Lab.

The P/T Colloquium is
typically held each
Thursday, 3:45–5:00 PM.
Refreshments are served
at 3:15 PM.