Professor Amanda Cooper-Sarkar

Abstract:

Diffractive scattering of γ^∗p → X + N, where N is either a proton or a nucleonic system with MN < 4 GeV has been measured in deep inelastic scattering (DIS) at HERA. The cross section was determined by a novel method as a function of the γ^∗p c.m. energy W between 60 and 245 GeV and of the mass MX of the system X up to 15 GeV at average Q² values of 14 and 31 GeV². The diffractive cross section dσ^{di f f} /dMX is, within errors, found to rise linearly with W. Parameterizing the W dependence by the form dσ^{di f f} /dMX ∞ (W²)^{(2αIP - 2)} the DIS data yield for the pomeron trajectory αIP = 1.23±0.02(stat)±0.04(syst) averaged over t in the measured kinematic range assuming the longitudinal photon contribution to be zero. This value for the pomeron trajectory is substantially larger than αIP extracted from soft interactions. The value of αIP measured in this analysis suggests that a substantial part of the diffractive DIS cross section originates from processes which can be described by perturbative QCD. From the measured diffractive cross sections the diffractive structure function of the proton F2 ^D(3) (β,Q², xIP) has been determined, where β is the momentum fraction of the struck quark in the pomeron. The form F2 ^D(3) = constant·(1/xIP)^a gives a good fit to the data in all β and Q² intervals with a = 1.46 ± 0.04(stat) ± 0.08(syst).

Abstract:

A search for excited states of the standard model fermions was performed using the ZEUS detector at the HERA electron-proton collider, operating at a centre of mass energy of 296 GeV. In a sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.55 pb^-1, no evidence was found for any resonant state decaying into final states composed of a fermion and a gauge boson. Limits on the coupling strength times branching ratio of excited fermions are presented for masses between 50 GeV and 250 GeV, extending previous search regions significantly. © 1995 Springer-Verlag.

Abstract:

Elastic ρ 0 photoproduction has been measured using the ZEUS detector at HERA. Untagged photoproduction events from ep interactions were used to measure the reaction γp→ρ 0 p(ρ 0)→π +π-) at photon-proton centre-of-mass energies between 60 and 80 GeV and |t|<0.5 GeV2, where t is the square of the four-momentum transferred at the proton vertex. The differential cross section dσ/d M ππ where M ππ is the invariant mass of the two pions, and the integrated cross section, σγp→ρ{variant}0ρ{variant}, are presented; the latter was measured to be 14.7±0.4 (stat.) ±2.4 (syst.)μb. The differential cross section dσ/dt has an approximately exponential shape; a fit of the type A t ′ exp(-b t ′ |t|+c t ′ t 2) yields a t-slope b t ′ =9.9±1.2 (stat.) ±1.4 (syst.) GeV-2. The results, when compared to low energy data, show a weak energy dependence of both σγp→ρ{variant}0p and of the t-slope. The ρ 0 is produced predominantly with transverse polarisation, demostrating that s-channel helicity conservation holds at these energies. © 1996 Springer-Verlag.

Abstract:

This paper presents an analysis of the inclusive properties of diffractive deep inelastic scattering events produced in ep interactions at HERA. The events are characterised by a rapidity gap between the outgoing proton system and the remaining hadronic system. Inclusive distributions are presented and compared with Monte Carlo models for diffractive processes. The data are consistent with models where the pomeron structure function has a hard and a soft contribution. The diffractive structure function is measured as a function of xℙ, the momentum fraction lost by the proton, of β, the momentum fraction of the struck quark with respect to xℙ, and of Q2 in the range 6.3·10-4

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