C. Marchand

First determination of generalized polarizabilities of the proton by a virtual compton scattering experiment.

Absolute differential cross sections for the reaction (e+p ->e+p+gamma) have been measured at a four-momentum transfer with virtuality Q^2=0.33 GeV^2 and polarization \epsilon = 0.62 in the range 33.6 to 111.5 MeV/c for the momentum of the outgoing photon in the photon-proton center of mass frame. The experiment has been performed with the high resolution spectrometers at the Mainz Microtron MAMI. From the photon angular distributions, two structure functions which are a linear combination of the generalized polarizabilities have been determined for the first time.

Virtual Compton Scattering and polarizabilities

Abstract Virtual Compton Scattering (VCS) off the proton below pion threshold allows access to generalized polarizabilities of the proton. These observables measure the response of the nucleon to low energy electromagnetic field perturbations. This paper presents a comparison with Real Compton Scattering and also results for the first dedicated VCS experiment performed at the Mainz Microtron MAMI with high resolution spectrometers at Q2 = 0.33 GeV2.

The first virtual Compton scattering experiment at MAMI

Abstract Virtual Compton scattering, i.e. the exclusive reaction γ ∗ p → γ′p′ with γ ∗ denoting a virtual photon, provides new insights on the internal structure of the proton. Below π 0 production threshold, this experiment measures the generalized polarizabilities of the proton as defined by Guichon et al [1], [2] and Drechsel et al [3]. These new electromagnetic observables, functions of Q 2 , enlarge the concept of electric (α0 and magnetic (β) polarizabilities in Real Compton Scattering ( Q 2 =0) [4]. The first VCS experiment [5] of this kind was measured at the three spectrometer facility at the Mainz Microtron MAMI for Q 2 =0.33 GeV 2 and we present in this paper the preliminary results.

Virtual compton scattering under π0 threshold at Q2=0.33 GeV2. Preliminary results

We have measured the absolute unpolarized cross sections for photon electro-production off the proton ep → epγ with the Three-Spectrometer-Setup at MAMI at a momentum transfer q=600 MeV/c and a virtual photon polarization ɛ=0.62. The momentum q ′ of the outgoing real photon range from 33 to 111 MeV/c. We extracted two combinations of the recently introduced generalized polarizabilities [1,2].

Virtual Compton Scattering at MAMI γ*p→ γ1p1

The virtual Compton scattering (VCS) is the electron scattering on a proton which radiates a real photon before being detected. The new observables, called Generalized Polarizabilities (GP), extracted from this VCS at threshold can be understood as the deformation of the charge and current distributions of the proton [1]. These GP are functions of the mass of the virtual photon Q2. In real Compton scattering (Q2 = 0), some polarizabilities of the nucleon are already measured [2]. With the VCS, we will generalize these observables by measuring them at different values of Q2.