# Beam Asymmetry $\mathbf{\Sigma}$ for the Photoproduction of $\mathbf{\eta}$ and $\mathbf{\eta^{\prime}}$ Mesons at $\mathbf{E_{\gamma}=8.8}$GeV

## TL;DR

This paper presents precise measurements of the beam asymmetry for eta and eta prime meson photoproduction at 8.8 GeV, providing new data to test theoretical models of meson production mechanisms.

## Contribution

It provides the first measurements of eta prime beam asymmetry at this energy and compares the ratio of eta to eta prime asymmetries to theoretical predictions.

## Key findings

- Photoproduction dominated by natural parity exchange.
- High statistical precision in eta measurements.
- First eta prime asymmetry measurements at this energy.

## Abstract

We report on the measurement of the beam asymmetry $\Sigma$ for the reactions $\vec{\gamma}p\rightarrow p\eta$ and $\vec{\gamma}p \rightarrow p\eta^{\prime}$ from the GlueX experiment, using an 8.2--8.8 GeV linearly polarized tagged photon beam incident on a liquid hydrogen target in Hall D at Jefferson Lab. These measurements are made as a function of momentum transfer $-t$, with significantly higher statistical precision than our earlier $\eta$ measurements, and are the first measurements of $\eta^{\prime}$ in this energy range. We compare the results to theoretical predictions based on $t$--channel quasi-particle exchange. We also compare the ratio of $\Sigma_{\eta}$ to $\Sigma_{\eta^{\prime}}$ to these models, as this ratio is predicted to be sensitive to the amount of $s\bar{s}$ exchange in the production. We find that photoproduction of both $\eta$ and $\eta^{\prime}$ is dominated by natural parity exchange with little dependence on $-t$.