The Charge Form Factor of the Neutron at Low Momentum Transfer from the $^{2}\vec{\rm H}(\vec{\rm e},{\rm e}'{\rm n}){\rm p}$ Reaction

TL;DR

This study measures the neutron charge form factor at low momentum transfer using polarized electron scattering from deuterium, providing insights into neutron structure through precise asymmetry measurements.

Contribution

It presents new experimental data on the neutron charge form factor at low Q^2 using polarized electron scattering and the BLAST detector, improving understanding of neutron electromagnetic structure.

Findings

Neutron form factor ratio G^n_E / G^n_M measured at four Q^2 points.

Data supports existing models of neutron structure.

Enhanced precision in neutron form factor measurements at low momentum transfer.

Abstract

We report new measurements of the neutron charge form factor at low momentum transfer using quasielastic electrodisintegration of the deuteron. Longitudinally polarized electrons at an energy of 850 MeV were scattered from an isotopically pure, highly polarized deuterium gas target. The scattered electrons and coincident neutrons were measured by the Bates Large Acceptance Spectrometer Toroid (BLAST) detector. The neutron form factor ratio $G^{n}_{E}/G^{n}_{M}$ was extracted from the beam-target vector asymmetry $A_{ed}^{V}$ at four-momentum transfers $Q^{2}=0.14$, 0.20, 0.29 and 0.42 (GeV/c)$^{2}$.