The spin structure functions of the proton and the deuteron were measured during the EG4 experiment at Jefferson Lab in 2006. Data were collected for longitudinally polarized electron scattering off longitudinally polarized NH_3 and ND_3 targets, for Q^2 values as small as 0.012 and 0.02 GeV^2, respectively, using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). This is the archival paper of the EG4 experiment that summaries the previously reported results of the polarized structure functions g_1, A_1F_1, and their moments Γ_1, γ_0, and I_TT, for both the proton and the deuteron. In addition, we report on new results on the neutron g_1 extracted by combining proton and deuteron data and correcting for Fermi smearing, and on the neutron moments Γ_1, γ_0, and I_TT formed directly from those of the proton and the deuteron. Our data are in good agreement with the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule for the proton, deuteron, and neutron. Furthermore, the isovector combination was formed for g_1 and the Bjorken integral Γ_1^p-n, and compared to available theoretical predictions. All of our results provide for the first time extensive tests of spin observable predictions from chiral effective field theory (χEFT) in a Q^2 range commensurate with the pion mass. They motivate further improvement in χEFT calculations from other approaches such as the lattice gauge method.

Measuring deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) on the neutron is one of the necessary steps to understand the structure of the nucleon in terms of generalized parton distributions (GPDs). Neutron targets play a complementary role to transversely polarized proton targets in the determination of the GPD E. This poorly known and poorly constrained GPD is essential to obtain the contribution of the quarks' angular momentum to the spin of the nucleon. DVCS on the neutron was measured for the first time selecting the exclusive final state by detecting the neutron, using the Jefferson Lab longitudinally polarized electron beam, with energies up to 10.6 GeV, and the CLAS12 detector. The extracted beam-spin asymmetries, combined with DVCS observables measured on the proton, allow a clean quark-flavor separation of the imaginary parts of the Compton form factors H and E.

This document presents the initial scientific case for upgrading the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab (JLab) to 22 GeV. It is the result of a community effort, incorporating insights from a series of workshops conducted between March 2022 and April 2023. With a track record of over 25 years in delivering the world's most intense and precise multi-GeV electron beams, CEBAF's potential for a higher energy upgrade presents a unique opportunity for an innovative nuclear physics program, which seamlessly integrates a rich historical background with a promising future. The proposed physics program encompass a diverse range of investigations centered around the nonperturbative dynamics inherent in hadron structure and the exploration of strongly interacting systems. It builds upon the exceptional capabilities of CEBAF in high-luminosity operations, the availability of existing or planned Hall equipment, and recent advancements in accelerator technology. The proposed program cover various scientific topics, including Hadron Spectroscopy, Partonic Structure and Spin, Hadronization and Transverse Momentum, Spatial Structure, Mechanical Properties, Form Factors and Emergent Hadron Mass, Hadron-Quark Transition, and Nuclear Dynamics at Extreme Conditions, as well as QCD Confinement and Fundamental Symmetries. Each topic highlights the key measurements achievable at a 22 GeV CEBAF accelerator. Furthermore, this document outlines the significant physics outcomes and unique aspects of these programs that distinguish them from other existing or planned facilities. In summary, this document provides an exciting rationale for the energy upgrade of CEBAF to 22 GeV, outlining the transformative scientific potential that lies within reach, and the remarkable opportunities it offers for advancing our understanding of hadron physics and related fundamental phenomena.

The new experimental measurements of beam spin asymmetry were performed for the deeply virtual exclusive π0 production in a wide kinematic region with the photon virtualities Q2 up to 6.6 GeV2 and the Bjorken scaling variable xB in the valence regime. The data were collected by the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS12) at Jefferson Lab with longitudinally polarized 10.6 GeV electrons scattered on an unpolarized liquid-hydrogen target. Sizable asymmetry values indicate a substantial contribution from transverse virtual photon amplitudes to the polarized structure functions. The interpretation of these measurements in terms of the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) demonstrates their sensitivity to the chiral-odd GPD E¯T, which contains information on quark transverse spin densities in unpolarized and polarized nucleons and provides access to the nucleon's transverse anomalous magnetic moment. Additionally, the data were compared to a theoretical model based on a Regge formalism that was extended to the high photon virtualities.

The double-spin-polarization observable E for gamma(->) p(->) -> p pi(0) p pi 0 has been measured with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at photon beam energies E gamma from 0.367 to 2.173 GeV (corresponding to center-of mass energies from 1.240 to 2.200 GeV) for pion center-of mass angles, cos theta(pi)0(c.m.) , between 0.86 and 0.82. These new CLAS measurements cover a broader energy range and have smaller uncertainties compared to previous CBELSA data and provide an important independent check on systematics. These measurements are compared to predictions as well as new global fits from The George Washington University, Mainz, and Bonn-Gatchina groups. Their inclusion in multi pole analyses will allow us to refine our understanding of the single-pion production contribution to the Gerasimov-DrellHearn sum rule and improve the determination of resonance properties, which will be presented in a future publication.

We report the first measurements of deep inelastic scattering spin-dependent azimuthal asymmetries in back-to-back dihadron electroproduction in the deep inelastic scattering process. In this reaction, two hadrons are produced in opposite hemispheres along the z axis in the virtual photon-target nucleon center-of-mass frame, with the first hadron produced in the current-fragmentation region and the second in the target-fragmentation region. The data were taken with longitudinally polarized electron beams of 10.2 and 10.6 GeV incident on an unpolarized liquid-hydrogen target using the CLAS12 spectrometer at Jefferson Lab. Observed nonzero sinΔϕ modulations in ep→e^{'}pπ^{+}X events, where Δϕ is the difference of the azimuthal angles of the proton and pion in the virtual photon and target nucleon center-of-mass frame, indicate that correlations between the spin and transverse momenta of hadrons produced in the target- and current-fragmentation regions may be significant. The measured beam-spin asymmetries provide a first access in dihadron production to a previously unexplored leading-twist spin- and transverse-momentum-dependent fracture function. The fracture functions describe the hadronization of the target remnant after the hard scattering of a virtual photon off a quark in the target particle and provide a new avenue for studying nucleonic structure and hadronization.

The polarized cross-section ratio σ_{LT^{'}}/σ_{0} from hard exclusive π^{-}Δ^{++} electroproduction off an unpolarized hydrogen target has been extracted based on beam-spin asymmetry measurements using a 10.2  GeV/10.6  GeV incident electron beam and the CLAS12 spectrometer at Jefferson Lab. The study, which provides the first observation of this channel in the deep-inelastic regime, focuses on very forward-pion kinematics in the valence regime, and photon virtualities ranging from 1.5  GeV^{2} up to 7  GeV^{2}. The reaction provides a novel access to the d-quark content of the nucleon and to p→Δ^{++} transition generalized parton distributions. A comparison to existing results for hard exclusive π^{+}n and π^{0}p electroproduction is provided, which shows a clear impact of the excitation mechanism, encoded in transition generalized parton distributions, on the asymmetry.

A multidimensional extraction of the structure function ratio σLT′/σ0 from the hard exclusive e→p→e′nπ+ reaction above the resonance region has been performed. The study was done based on beam-spin asymmetry measurements using a 10.6 GeV incident electron beam on a liquid-hydrogen target and the CLAS12 spectrometer at Jefferson Lab. The measurements focus on the very forward regime (t/Q2 ≪ 1) with a wide kinematic range of xB in the valence regime (0.17 < xB < 0.55), and virtualities Q2 ranging from 1.5 GeV2 up to 6 GeV2. The results and their comparison to theoretical models based on Generalized Parton Distributions demonstrate the sensitivity to chiral-odd GPDs and the directly related tensor charge of the nucleon. In addition, the data is compared to an extension of a Regge formalism at high photon virtualities. It was found that the Regge model provides a better description at low Q2, while the GPD model is more appropriate at high Q2.

Deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) allows one to probe Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) describing the 3D structure of the nucleon. We report the first measurement of the DVCS beam-spin asymmetry using the CLAS12 spectrometer with a 10.2 and 10.6 GeV electron beam scattering from unpolarised protons. The results greatly extend the $Q^2$ and Bjorken-$x$ phase space beyond the existing data in the valence region and provide over 2000 new data points measured with unprecedented statistical uncertainty, setting new, tight constraints for future phenomenological studies.

AbstractThe double-spin-polarization observable$${\mathbb {E}}$$Efor$$\vec {\gamma }\vec {p}\rightarrow p\pi ^0$$γ→p→→pπ0has been measured with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at photon beam energies$$E_\gamma $$Eγfrom 0.367 to$$2.173~\textrm{GeV}$$2.173GeV(corresponding to center-of-mass energies from 1.240 to$$2.200~\textrm{GeV}$$2.200GeV) for pion center-of-mass angles,$$\cos \theta _{\pi ^0}^{c.m.}$$cosθπ0c.m., between$$-$$-0.86 and 0.82. These new CLAS measurements cover a broader energy range and have smaller uncertainties compared to previous CBELSA data and provide an important independent check on systematics. These measurements are compared to predictions as well as new global fits from The George Washington University, Mainz, and Bonn-Gatchina groups. Their inclusion in multipole analyses will allow us to refine our understanding of the single-pion production contribution to the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule and improve the determination of resonance properties, which will be presented in a future publication.

The double-spin-polarization observable 𝔼 for γ⃗p⃗→ pπ ^0 has been measured with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at photon beam energies E_γ from 0.367 to 2.173 GeV (corresponding to center-of-mass energies from 1.240 to 2.200 GeV ) for pion center-of-mass angles, cosθ _π ^0^c.m. , between - 0.86 and 0.82. These new CLAS measurements cover a broader energy range and have smaller uncertainties compared to previous CBELSA data and provide an important independent check on systematics. These measurements are compared to predictions as well as new global fits from The George Washington University, Mainz, and Bonn-Gatchina groups. Their inclusion in multipole analyses will allow us to refine our understanding of the single-pion production contribution to the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule and improve the determination of resonance properties, which will be presented in a future publication.

We report results of Λ hyperon production in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering off deuterium, carbon, iron, and lead targets obtained with the CLAS detector and the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility 5.014 GeV electron beam. These results represent the first measurements of the Λ multiplicity ratio and transverse momentum broadening as a function of the energy fraction (z) in the current and target fragmentation regions. The multiplicity ratio exhibits a strong suppression at high z and an enhancement at low z. The measured transverse momentum broadening is an order of magnitude greater than that seen for light mesons. This indicates that the propagating entity interacts very strongly with the nuclear medium, which suggests that propagation of diquark configurations in the nuclear medium takes place at least part of the time, even at high z. The trends of these results are qualitatively described by the Giessen Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck transport model, particularly for the multiplicity ratios. These observations will potentially open a new era of studies of the structure of the nucleon as well as of strange baryons.

We report the first measurement of $x_B$-scaling in $(e,e'p)$ cross-section ratios off nuclei relative to deuterium at large missing-momentum of $350 \leq p_{miss} \leq 600$ MeV/c. The observed scaling extends over a kinematic range of $0.7 \leq x_B \leq 1.8$, which is significantly wider than $1.4 \leq x_B \leq 1.8$ previously observed for inclusive $(e,e')$ cross-section ratios. The $x_B$-integrated cross-section ratios become constant (i.e., scale) beginning at $p_{miss}\approx k_F$, the nuclear Fermi momentum. Comparing with theoretical calculations we find good agreement with Generalized Contact Formalism calculations for high missing-momentum ($> 375$ MeV/c), suggesting the observed scaling results from interacting with nucleons in short-range correlated (SRC) pairs. For low missing-momenta, mean-field calculations show good agreement with the data for $p_{miss}\le k_F$, and suggest that contributions to the measured cross-section ratios from scattering off single, un-correlated, nucleons are non-negligible up to $p_{miss}\approx 350$ MeV/c. Therefore, SRCs become dominant in nuclei at $p_{miss}\approx 350$ MeV/c, well above the nuclear Fermi Surface of $k_F \approx 250$ MeV/c.

Several factors can contribute to the difficulty of aligning the sensors of tracking detectors, including a large number of modules, multiple types of detector technologies, and non-linear strip patterns on the sensors. All three of these factors apply to the CLAS12 CVT, which is a hybrid detector consisting of planar silicon sensors with non-parallel strips, and cylindrical micromegas sensors with longitudinal and arc-shaped strips located within a 5~T superconducting solenoid. To align this detector, we used the Kalman Alignment Algorithm, which accounts for correlations between the alignment parameters without requiring the time-consuming inversion of large matrices. This is the first time that this algorithm has been adapted for use with hybrid technologies, non-parallel strips, and curved sensors. We present the results for the first alignment of the CLAS12 CVT using straight tracks from cosmic rays and from a target with the magnetic field turned off. After running this procedure, we achieved alignment at the level of 10~$\mu$m, and the widths of the residual spectra were greatly reduced. These results attest to the flexibility of this algorithm and its applicability to future use in the CLAS12 CVT and other hybrid or curved trackers, such as those proposed for the future Electron-Ion Collider.

S. Morán,1, 3 R. Dupre,2 H. Hakobyan,1, 52 M. Arratia,3 W.K. Brooks,1 A. Bórquez,1 A. El Alaoui,1 L. El Fassi,4, 5 K. Hafidi,5 R. Mendez,1 T. Mineeva,1 S.J. Paul,3 M.J. Amaryan,36 Giovanni Angelini,19 Whitney R. Armstrong,5 H. Atac,43 N.A. Baltzell,44 L. Barion,20 M. Bashkanov,49 M. Battaglieri,44, 22 I. Bedlinskiy,31 Fatiha Benmokhtar,14 A. Bianconi,46, 26 L. Biondo,22, 25, 47 A.S. Biselli,15, 8 F. Bossù,10 S. Boiarinov,44 W.J. Briscoe,19 D. Bulumulla,36 V.D. Burkert,44 D.S. Carman,44 P. Chatagnon,2 V. Chesnokov,41 T. Chetry,4 G. Ciullo,20, 16 P.L. Cole,30, 9, 44 M. Contalbrigo,20 G. Costantini,46, 26 A. D’Angelo,23, 40 N. Dashyan,52 R. De Vita,22 M. Defurne,10 A. Deur,44 S. Diehl,37, 12 C. Djalali,35, 42 H. Egiyan,44 L. Elouadrhiri,44 P. Eugenio,18 R. Fersch,11, 51 A. Filippi,24 G. Gavalian,44, 32 Y. Ghandilyan,52 G.P. Gilfoyle,39 A.A. Golubenko,41 R.W. Gothe,42 K.A. Griffioen,51 M. Guidal,2 M. Hattawy,36 F. Hauenstein,36 T.B. Hayward,12 D. Heddle,11, 44 K. Hicks,35 A. Hobart,2 M. Holtrop,32 Y. Ilieva,42 D.G. Ireland,48 E.L. Isupov,41 H.S. Jo,29 D. Keller,50 A. Khanal,17 M. Khandaker,34, ∗ W. Kim,29 F.J. Klein,9 A. Kripko,37 V. Kubarovsky,44, 38 S.E. Kuhn,36 L. Lanza,23 M. Leali,46, 26 P. Lenisa,20, 16 K. Livingston,48 I .J .D. MacGregor,48 D. Marchand,2 L. Marsicano,22 V. Mascagna,45, 26 B. McKinnon,48 C. McLauchlin,42 Z.E. Meziani,5 S. Migliorati,46, 26 M. Mirazita,21 V. Mokeev,44, 41 C. Munoz Camacho,2 P. Nadel-Turonski,44 K. Neupane,42 S. Niccolai,2 G. Niculescu,28 T. R. O’Connell,12 M. Osipenko,22 A.I. Ostrovidov,18 M. Ouillon,2 P. Pandey,36 M. Paolone,33 L.L. Pappalardo,20, 16 E. Pasyuk,44 W. Phelps,11, 19 O. Pogorelko,31 J. Poudel,36 J.W. Price,6 Y. Prok,36, 50 B.A. Raue,17 Trevor Reed,17 M. Ripani,22 J. Ritman,27 A. Rizzo,23, 40 G. Rosner,48 J. Rowley,35 F. Sabatié,10 C. Salgado,34 A. Schmidt,19 R.A. Schumacher,8 Y.G. Sharabian,44 E.V. Shirokov,41 U. Shrestha,12 D. Sokhan,10, 48 O. Soto,21 N. Sparveris,43 S. Stepanyan,44 I.I. Strakovsky,19 S. Strauch,42, 19 R. Tyson,48 M. Ungaro,44, 38 L. Venturelli,46, 26 H. Voskanyan,52 A. Vossen,13, 44 E. Voutier,2 D.P. Watts,49 Kevin Wei,12 X. Wei,44 L.B. Weinstein,36 R. Wishart,48 M.H. Wood,7, 42 B. Yale,51 N. Zachariou,49 J. Zhang,50 and Z.W. Zhao13

We report a new measurement of the beam-spin asymmetry, Sigma, for the (gamma) over right arrown -> K+Sigma(-) reaction using quasi-free neutrons in a liquid-deuterium target. The new dataset includes data at previously unmeasured photon energy and angular ranges, thereby providing new constraints on partial wave analyses used to extract properties of the excited nucleon states. The experimental data were obtained using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS), housed in Hall B of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab). The CLAS detector measured reaction products from a liquid-deuterium target produced by an energy-tagged, linearly polarised photon beam with energies in the range 1.1 to 2.3 GeV. Predictions from an isobar model indicate strong sensitivity to N(1720)3/2(+), Delta(1900)1/2(-), and N(1895)1/2(-), which corroborates results from a recent combined analysis of all K Sigma channels. When our data are incorporated in the fits of partial-wave analyses, one observes significant changes in gamma-n couplings of resonances which have small branching ratios to the pi N channel. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Funded by SCOAP(3).

High precision measurements of the polarized electron beam-spin asymmetry in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) from the proton have been performed using a 10.6 GeV incident electron beam and the CLAS12 spectrometer at Jefferson Lab. We report here a high precision multidimensional study of single π^{+} SIDIS data over a large kinematic range in Bjorken x, fractional energy, and transverse momentum of the hadron as well as photon virtualities Q^{2} ranging from 1-7  GeV^{2}. In particular, the structure function ratio F_{LU}^{sinϕ}/F_{UU} has been determined, where F_{LU}^{sinϕ} is a twist-3 quantity that can reveal novel aspects of emergent hadron mass and quark-gluon correlations within the nucleon. The data's impact on the evolving understanding of the underlying reaction mechanisms and their kinematic variation is explored using theoretical models for the different contributing transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions.

We present the first measurement of dihadron angular correlations in electron-nucleus scattering. The data were taken with the CLAS detector and a 5.0 GeV electron beam incident on deuterium, carbon, iron, and lead targets. Relative to deuterium, the nuclear yields of charged-pion pairs show a strong suppression for azimuthally opposite pairs, no suppression for azimuthally nearby pairs, and an enhancement of pairs with large invariant mass. These effects grow with increased nuclear size. The data are qualitatively described by the gibuu model, which suggests that hadrons form near the nuclear surface and undergo multiple scattering in nuclei.These results show that angular correlation studies can open a new way to elucidate how hadrons form and interact inside nuclei.