# Rosenbluth separation of the $\pi^0$ Electroproduction Cross Section off the Neutron

## TL;DR

This study presents the first separation of longitudinal and transverse components of the $c ext{pi}^0$ electroproduction cross section off the neutron, providing insights into nucleon structure and quark contributions.

## Contribution

It introduces the first longitudinal/transverse separation of the $c ext{pi}^0$ electroproduction cross section off the neutron, revealing the dominance of transversely polarized photon responses.

## Key findings

- Cross sections align with theoretical model predictions.
- Transversely polarized photon response dominates in neutron $c ext{pi}^0$ production.
- Flavor decomposition of quark contributions achieved.

## Abstract

We report the first longitudinal/transverse separation of the deeply virtual exclusive $\pi^0$ electroproduction cross section off the neutron and coherent deuteron. The corresponding four structure functions $d\sigma_L/dt$, $d\sigma_T/dt$, $d\sigma_{LT}/dt$ and $d\sigma_{TT}/dt$ are extracted as a function of the momentum transfer to the recoil system at $Q^2$=1.75 GeV$^2$ and $x_B$=0.36. The $ed \to ed\pi^0$ cross sections are found compatible with the small values expected from theoretical models. The $en \to en\pi^0$ cross sections show a dominance from the response to transversely polarized photons, and are in good agreement with calculations based on the transversity GPDs of the nucleon. By combining these results with previous measurements of $\pi^0$ electroproduction off the proton, we present a flavor decomposition of the $u$ and $d$ quark contributions to the cross section.