We use a generalization of the Rosenbluth separation method for a model independent simultaneous extraction of the Compton Form Factors ${\cal H}$ and ${\cal E}$, from virtual Compton scattering data on an unpolarized target. A precise evaluation of ${\cal H}$ and ${\cal E}$, enabled by the proposed method, is the first step towards pinning down the the distribution of angular momentum inside the proton.
We report on a Rosenbluth separation using previously published data by the CLAS collaboration in Hall B, Jefferson Lab for exclusive $π^{0}$ deeply virtual electroproduction (DVEP) from the proton at a mean $Q^{2}$ of $\approx$ 2 (GeV/c)$^{2}$. The central question we address is the applicability of factorization in $π^0$ DVEP at these kinematics. The results of our Rosenbluth separation clearly demonstrate the dominance of the longitudinal contribution to the cross section. The extracted longitudinal and transverse contributions are in agreement with previous data from Hall A at Jefferson La…
Several observables for the deeply virtual Compton scattering process have been simulated in the kinematic regime of a proposed Electron-Ion Collider to explore the possible impact of such measurements for the phenomenological access of generalized parton distributions. In particular, emphasis is given to the transverse distribution of sea quarks and gluons and how such measurements can provide information on the angular momentum sum rule. The exact lepton energy loss dependence for the unpolarized $t$-differential electroproduction cross section, needed for a Rosenbluth separation, is also re…
We provide the general expression of the cross section for exclusive deeply virtual photon electroproduction from a spin 1/2 target using current parameterizations of the off-forward correlation function in a nucleon for different beam and target polarization configurations up to twist three accuracy. All contributions to the cross section including deeply virtual Compton scattering, the Bethe-Heitler process, and their interference, are described within a helicity amplitude based framework which is also relativistically covariant and readily applicable to both the laboratory frame and in a co…
Exclusive vector meson production and deeply virtual Compton scattering are ideally suited reactions for studying the structure of the proton and the transition from soft to hard processes. The main experimental data obtained at HERA are summarised and presented in the light of QCD approaches.
Recently dispersion relations have been applied to hard exclusive processes such as deeply virtual Compton scattering, and a holographic principle was proposed that maps out the generalized parton distributions entering the soft matrix elements for the processes from their values on a given kinematical ridge. We examine possible pitfalls associated with the implicit, direct identification in this approach of the physical hadronic states with colored partons, and suggest an improved treatment of this assumption.
Neutrino scattering on nucleons in the regime of deeply virtual kinematics is studied both in the charged and the neutral electroweak sectors using a formalism developed by Blumlein, Robaschik, Geyer and Collaborators for the analysis of the Virtual Compton amplitude in the generalized Bjorken region. We discuss the structure of the leading twist amplitudes of the process.
The goal of the comprehensive program in Deeply Virtual Exclusive Scattering at Jefferson Laboratory is to create transverse spatial images of quarks and gluons as a function of their longitudinal momentum fraction in the proton, the neutron, and in nuclei. These functions are the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) of the target nucleus. Cross section measurements of the Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) reaction {ep -> ep γ} in Hall A support the QCD factorization of the scattering amplitude for Q^2 > 2 GeV^2. Quasi-free neutron-DVCS measurements on the Deuteron indicate sensitivi…
We provide a universal expression of cross sections for the exclusive vector meson production and Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) in photon-proton and photon-nucleus interactions based on the geometric scaling phenomenon. The theoretical parameterization based on the scaling property depends only on the single variable $τ_A = Q^2/Q_{\mathrm{sat}}^2$, where the saturation scale, $Q_{\mathrm{sat}}$, drives the energy dependence and the corresponding nuclear effects. This phenomenological result describes all available data from DESY-HERA for $ρ,\,ϕ,\,J/ψ$ production and DVCS measurement…
We develop a framework to establish benchmarks for machine learning and deep neural networks analyses of exclusive scattering cross sections (FemtoNet). Within this framework we present an extraction of Compton form factors for deeply virtual Compton scattering from an unpolarized proton target. Critical to this effort is a study of the effects of physics constraint built into machine learning (ML) algorithms. We use the Bethe-Heitler process, which is the QED radiative background to deeply virtual Compton scattering, to test our ML models and, in particular, their ability to generalize inform…
We present a Machine Learning based approach to the cross section and asymmetries for deeply virtual Compton scattering from an unpolarized proton target using both an unpolarized and polarized electron beam. Machine learning methods are needed to study and eventually interpret the outcome of deeply virtual exclusive experiments since these reactions are characterized by a complex final state with a larger number of kinematic variables and observables, exponentially increasing the difficulty of quantitative analyses. Our deep neural network (FemtoNet) uncovers emergent features in the data and…
A Pomeron model applicable to both "`soft" and "hard" processes is suggested and tested against the high-energy data from virtual photon-induced reactions. The Pomeron is universal, containing two terms, a "soft" and a "hard" one, whose relative weight varies with $\widetilde {Q^2}=Q^2+M_V^2$, where $Q^2$ is the virtuality of the incoming photon and $M_V$ is the mass of the produced vector particle. With a small number of adjustable parameters, the model fits all available data on vector meson production and deeply virtual Compton scattering from HERA. Furthermore, we attempt to apply the mode…
Recently we have shown that exclusive QCD photon-induced reactions at low Mandelstam-t are best described by Regge exchanges in the entire scaling region, and not only for low values of Bjorken-x. In this paper we explore this crucial Regge behavior in Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering from the point of view of collinear factorization, with the proton tensor written in terms of Generalized Parton Distributions, and we reproduce this feature. Thus it appears that in the Bjorken limit, a large class of hard, low-t exclusive processes are more sensitive to the meson cloud of the proton than to it…
A model for the $p(e,e'π^+)n$ reaction which combines an improved treatment of gauge invariant meson--exchange currents and hard deep--inelastic scattering (DIS) of virtual photons off nucleons is proposed. It is shown that DIS dominates and explains the transverse response at moderate and high photon virtualities $Q^2$ whereas the longitudinal response is dominated by hadronic degrees of freedom and the pion electromagnetic form factor. This leads to a combined description of the longitudinal and transverse components of the cross section in a wide range of photon virtuality $Q^2$ and momentu…
We propose to investigate a largely unexplored sector that is unique to the formulation of hard exclusive processes in terms of GPDs, namely the electroproduction of strange and charmed mesons in the kinematical ranges of Jefferson Lab's 12 GeV upgrade, and of the proposed Electron Ion Collider (EIC). In this contribution we focus on charmed meson production that is unique to the EIC. Exclusive strange and charmed meson production provides new insights in the connection of the quark/gluon degrees of freedom with the meson-baryon description, both in the unpolarized and polarized sectors. Howev…
A Reggeometric (Regge+Geometry) model, based on the observed proportionality between the forward slope of the differential cross section and the interaction radius, the latter depending on virtuality Q2 of the incoming virtual photon and on the mass M 2 of the produced particle, is constructed. The objective of this study is the dependence of the Regge-pole amplitude on the virtuality Q2 and masses of the external particles, which remains an open problem for the theory. The present analysis is based on the HERA data on Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) and exclusive diffractive Vector M…
In this work, we investigate the exclusive production of particles in scattering processes in the so-called saturation region. Within this scheme the phenomenon of geometric scaling takes place: cross sections are functions only of a dimensionless combination of the relevant kinematic variables, which happens both in inclusive and diffractive cases, as in the production of vector mesons. In particular, the scaling variable is given in general by $τ= Q^2/Q_s^2$, where $Q^2$ is the photon virtuality and $Q_s$ represents the saturation scale, which drives the energy dependence and the correspondi…
An interpretation of the beam spin azimuthal asymmetries measured at JLAB in deep exclusive electroproduction of charged and neutral pions is presented. The model combines a Regge pole approach with the effect of nucleon resonances. The $s$- and $u$-channel contributions are described using a dual Bloom-Gilman connection between the exclusive form factors and inclusive deep inelastic structure functions. The results are in agreement with data provided the excitations of nucleon resonances are taken into account.
Using the renormalon technique, we estimate higher-twist contributions in deeply virtual Compton scattering and in hard exclusive $π^0$ leptoproduction.
Coherent deeply virtual Compton scattering on helium-4 beyond leading power
IRFU, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay（法国原子能与替代能源署萨克雷大学）；Center for Frontiers in Nuclear Science, Stony Brook University（石溪大学核科学前沿中心）；Centre de Physique Théorique, CNRS, École polytechnique, I.P. Paris（巴黎理工学院巴黎综合理工学院理论物理中心法国国家科学研究中心）；National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ)（波兰国家核研究中心）
Exclusive two-photon reactions such as Compton scattering at large angles, deeply virtual Compton scattering, and hadron production in photon-photon collisions provide important tests of QCD at the amplitude level, particularly as measures of hadron distribution amplitudes and skewed parton distributions.
The longitudinal target-spin asymmetry A_UL for the exclusive electroproduction of high energy photons was measured for the first time in p(e,e'pγ). The data have been accumulated at Jefferson Lab with the CLAS spectrometer using 5.7 GeV electrons and a longitudinally polarized NH_3 target. A significant azimuthal angular dependence was observed, resulting from the interference of the Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering and Bethe-Heitler processes. The amplitude of the sin(phi) moment is 0.252 +/- 0.042(stat) +/- 0.020(sys). Theoretical calculations are in good agreement with the magnitude and t…
Virtual photons have proven to be very efficient probes of the hadronic structure, mostly through deep inelastic scattering and related processes. The advent of high luminosity lepton beams has allowed to enlarge the studied processes to hard exclusive reactions, such as deeply virtual Compton scattering and the electroproduction of mesons. We discuss theoretical progress which has lately been quite remarkable in this domain and first much encouraging experimental data.
We present a dispersive representation of the D-term form factor for hard exclusive reactions, using unsubtracted $t$-channel dispersion relations. The $t$-channel unitarity relation is saturated with the contribution of two-pion intermediate states, using the two-pion distributions amplitude for the $γ^*γ\rightarrow ππ$ subprocess and reconstructing the $ππ\rightarrow N\bar N$ subprocess from available information on pion-nucleon partial-wave helicity amplitudes. Results for the D-term form factor as function of $t$ as well as at $t=0$ are discussed in comparison with available model predicti…
In our work, we describe two types of Compton processes. As an example of an inclusive process, we consider the high-energy photoproduction of massive muon pairs off the nucleon. We analyze the process in the framework of the QCD parton model, in which the usual parton distributions emerge as a tool to describe the nucleon in terms of quark and gluonic degrees of freedom. To study its exclusive version, a new class of phenomenological functions is required, namely, generalized parton distributions. They can be considered as a generalization of the usual parton distributions measured in deeply …
We investigate the exclusive photoproduction of a heavy timelike photon which decays into a lepton pair, gamma p -> l+ l- p. This can be seen as the analog of deeply virtual Compton scattering, and we argue that the two processes are complementary for studying generalized parton distributions in the nucleon. In an unpolarized experiment the angular distribution of the leptons readily provides access to the real part of the Compton amplitude. We estimate the possible size of this effect in kinematics where the Compton process should be dominated by quark exchange.
The recent detection of gravitational waves from merging neutron star events has opened a new window on the many unknown aspects of their internal dynamics. A key role in this context is played by the transition from baryon to quark matter described in the neutron star equation of state (EoS). In particular, the binary pulsar observation of heavy neutron stars requires appropriately stiff dense matter in order to counter gravitational collapse, at variance with the predictions of many phenomenological quark models. On the other side, the LIGO observations favor a softer EoS therefore providing…
We illustrate the generalization of results concerning exclusive electromagnetic processes in the deeply virtual limit (DVCS) to the case of the weak interactions.We briefly describe the derivation of the differential cross section for neutrino-nucleon reactions mediated by the neutral current and the amplitude for similar reactions mediated by the charged currents.
Generalised parton distributions are instrumental to study both the three-dimensional structure and the energy-momentum tensor of the nucleon, and motivate numerous experimental programmes involving hard exclusive measurements. Based on a next-to-leading order analysis and a careful study of evolution effects, we exhibit non-trivial generalised parton distributions with arbitrarily small imprints on deeply virtual Compton scattering observables. This means that in practice the reconstruction of generalised parton distributions from measurements, known as the deconvolution problem, does not pos…
Recent results obtained at HERA on deeply virtual Compton scattering and exclusive vector meson production are reviewed, with the emphasis on the transition from soft to hard diffraction and on spin dynamics.
We discuss two aspects of polarisation in hard exclusive meson production: the leading-twist selection rule for the meson helicity, and the different partial waves of a (pi pi)-pair which may or may not be due to the decay of a rho.
Deeply virtual electroproduction of pion in exclusive reaction $p(e,e'π^+)n$ is studied using a two-component model which includes soft hadronic and hard partonic reaction mechanisms. The results are compared with the experimental data measured at HERMES in the deep inelastic region for values of $Q^2>1$ GeV$^2$ and $W^2 > 10$ GeV$^2$. At forward angles the $π^+$ cross section is longitudinal and is dominated by exchange of Regge poles, with $π$ the dominant trajectory. The off-forward region with $-t>1$ GeV$^2$ is transverse and shows the dominance of partonic subprocesses. An implication of …
We propose detailed tests of the handbag approximation in exclusive deeply virtual Compton scattering. Those tests make no use of any prejudice about parton correlations in the proton which are basically unknown objects and beyond the scope of perturbative QCD. Since important information on the proton substructure can be gained in the regime of light cone dominance we consider that such a class of tests is of special relevance.
Hard exclusive processes, such as Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS), allow to access generalized parton distributions (GPDs). By means of an Impulse Approximation (IA) calculation, it is shown here how, in the low momentum transfer region, the sum of the GPDs H and E is dominated by the neutron contribution. Thanks to this property, 3He could open a new way to access the neutron structure information. In this work, a simple and efficient extraction procedure of the neutron GPDs, able to take into account the nuclear effects included in IA analysis, is proposed.
Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) offer a new way to access the quark and gluon nucleon structure. We review recent progress in this domain, emphasizing the need to supplement the experimental study of deeply virtual Compton scattering by its crossed version, timelike Compton scattering. We also describe the extension of the GPD concept to three quark operators and the relevance of their nucleon to meson matrix elements, namely the transition distribution amplitudes (TDAs) which factorize in backward meson electroproduction and related processes. We discuss the main properties of the TDA…
We introduce the study of neutrino scattering off protons in the deeply virtual kinematics, which describes under a unified formalism elastic and deep inelastic neutrino scattering. A real final state photon and a recoiling nucleon are detected in the few GeV ($|t|\sim 0.2-5$ GeV) region of momentum transfer. This is performed via an extension of the notion of deeply virtual Compton scattering, or DVCS, to the case of a neutral current exchange. The relevance of this process and of other similar exclusive processes for the study of neutrino interactions in neutrino factories for GeV neutrinos …
Standard parton distribution functions contain neither information on the correlations between partons nor on their transverse motion, then a vital knowledge about the three dimensional structure of the nucleon is lost. Hard exclusive processes, in particular DVCS, are essential reactions to go beyond this standard picture. In the following, we examine the most recent data and their implication on the quarks/gluons imaging (tomography) of the nucleon.
We discuss the recent data of exclusive $π^0$ (and $π^+$) electroproduction on the proton obtained by the CLAS collaboration at Jefferson Lab. It is observed that the cross sections, which have been decomposed in $σ_T +εσ_L$, $σ_{TT}$ and $σ_{LT}$ structure functions, are dominated by transverse amplitude contributions. The data can be interpreted in the Generalized Parton Distribution formalism provided that one includes helicity-flip transversity GPDs.
The beam spin asymmetries in the hard exclusive electroproduction of photons on the proton (ep -> epg) were measured over a wide kinematic range and with high statistical accuracy. These asymmetries result from the interference of the Bethe-Heitler process and of deeply virtual Compton scattering. Over the whole kinematic range (x_B from 0.11 to 0.58, Q^2 from 1 to 4.8 GeV^2, -t from 0.09 to 1.8 GeV^2), the azimuthal dependence of the asymmetries is compatible with expectations from leading-twist dominance, A = a*sin(phi)/[1+c*cos(phi)]. This extensive set of data can thus be used to constrain…
Exclusive electro-weak processes have peculiar features which make them complementary to usually discussed deeply virtual electroproduction processes such as deep virtual Compton scattering or meson production (and the corresponding crossed reactions). They allow in particular single charmed meson production, which we study in two different contexts : electroproduction at an electron ion collider and neutrino-production at a medium energy neutrino facility. We rely on the QCD collinear factorization framework where generalized parton distributions allow physicists to perform a nucleon tomograp…
Using a soft pion theorem based on chiral symmetry and a $Δ(1232)$ resonance model we propose an estimate for the production cross section of low energy pions in the deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) process. In particular, we express the $e p \to e γπN$ processes in terms of generalized parton distributions. We provide estimates of the contamination of the $e p \to e γp$ DVCS observables due to this associated pion production processes when the experimental data are not fully exclusive, for a set of kinematical conditions representative of present or planned experiments at JLab, HERMES…
An overview is given about the capabilities provided by the JLab 12 GeV Upgrade to measure deeply virtual exclusive processes with high statistics and covering a large kinematics range in the parameters that are needed to allow reconstruction of a spatial image of the nucleon's quark structure. The measurements planned with CLAS12 will cross section asymmetries with polarized beams and with longitudinally and transversely polarized proton targets in the constrained kinematics $x = \pm ξ$. In addition, unpolarized DVCS cross sections, and doubly polarized beam target asymmetries will be measure…
Basing on the constraint equalities which arise from the algebra of the collinear conformal group and the conformal operator product expansion, we predict the solutions of the leading order evolution equations for the non-forward distributions, including transversity, in terms of the conformal moments; next-to-leading order flavour singlet coefficient functions for the polarized and unpolarized deeply virtual Compton scattering; as well as the contribution from renormalon chains to the eigenfunctions of the exclusive non-singlet evolution kernel.
Standard parton distribution functions contain neither information on the correlations between partons nor on their transverse motion, then a vital knowledge about the three dimensional structure of the nucleon is lost. Hard exclusive processes, in particular DVCS, are essential reactions to go beyond this standard picture. In the following, we examine the most recent data in view of the dipole model predictions and their implication on the quarks/gluons imaging (tomography) of the nucleon.
The sub-leading power of the scattering amplitude for deeply-virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) off the nucleon contains leading-twist and twist-3 generalized parton distributions (GPDs). We point out that in DVCS, at twist-3 accuracy, one cannot address any individual twist-3 GPD. This complication appears on top of the deconvolution issues familiar from the twist-2 DVCS amplitude. Accessible are exclusively linear combinations involving both vector and axial-vector twist-3 GPDs. This implies, in particular, that the (kinetic) orbital angular momentum of quarks can hardly be constrained by twi…
The elementary reaction of kaon exclusive electroproduction on protons has been studied in a broad kinematical range. Data for the calculation of the form factor of the kaon have been taken at different values of the invariant center of mass energy W in the range W=1.8, 1.85, 1.98, 2.08 (GeV), for one value of the transferred 4-momentum Q2=2.35 (GeV/c)2. In this analysis, we calculated sigma-L and sigma-T by using the Rosenbluth separation. Then the electromagnetic kaon form factor was calculated by Chew-Low extrapolation.
The study of exclusive processes in the future electron-ion ($eA$) colliders will be an important tool to investigate the QCD dynamics at high energies as they are in general driven by the gluon content of the target which is strongly subject to parton saturation effects. In this paper we compute the coherent and incoherent cross sections for the deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) process relying on the color dipole approach and considering different models for the dipole - proton scattering amplitude. The dependencies of the cross sections with the energy, photon virtuality, nuclear mas…
We emphasize the complementarity of timelike and spacelike studies of deep exclusive processes, taking as an example the case of timelike Compton Scattering (TCS) i.e. the exclusive photoproduction of a lepton pair with large invariant mass, vs deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) i.e. the exclusive leptoproduction of a real photon. Both amplitudes factorize with the same generalized parton distributions (GPDs) as their soft parts and coefficient functions which differ significantly at next to leading order in alpha_s. We also stress that data on TCS at very high energy should be available…
Standard parton distribution functions contain neither information on the correlations between partons nor on their transverse motion, then a vital knowledge about the three dimensional structure of the nucleon is lost. Hard exclusive processes, in particular DVCS, are essential reactions to go beyond this standard picture. In the following, we examine the most recent data from HERA (at low $x_{Bj}<10^{-2}$) and their impact on GPD models. The most recent measurements of the Beam Charge Asymmetry by the H1 experiment is discussed. Perspectives are presented for further measurements of DVCS cro…
Exclusive photoproduction of dileptons, gamma p ->l+ l- p, will be measured in ultraperipheral collisions at LHC. The mechanism where the lepton pair comes from a heavy timelike photon radiated from a quark interferes with the pure QED process gamma gamma ->l+ l- As an analog of deeply virtual Compton scattering, this timelike Compton scattering is a way to study generalized parton distributions in the nucleon or the nucleus. High energy kinematics will enable to focus on gluon distributions. Nuclear effects may be scrutinized in heavy ion collisions.
