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Large experimental programmes in the fields of nuclear and particle physics search for evidence of physics beyond that explained by current theories. The observation of the Higgs boson completed the set of particles predicted by the standard model, which currently provides the best description of fundamental particles and forces. However, this theory's limitations include a failure to predict fundamental parameters, such as the mass of the Higgs boson, and the inability to account for dark matter and energy, gravity, and the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe, among other phenomena. These limitations have inspired searches for physics beyond the standard model in the post-Higgs era through the direct production of additional particles at high-energy accelerators, which have so far been unsuccessful. Examples include searches for supersymmetric particles, which connect bosons (integer-spin particles) with fermions (half-integer-spin particles), and for leptoquarks, which mix the fundamental quarks with leptons. Alternatively, indirect searches using precise measurements of well predicted standard-model observables allow highly targeted alternative tests for physics beyond the standard model because they can reach mass and energy scales beyond those directly accessible by today's high-energy accelerators. Such an indirect search aims to determine the weak charge of the proton, which defines the strength of the proton's interaction with other particles via the well known neutral electroweak force. Because parity symmetry (invariance under the spatial inversion (x, y, z) → (-x, -y, -z)) is violated only in the weak interaction, it provides a tool with which to isolate the weak interaction and thus to measure the proton's weak charge . Here we report the value 0.0719 ± 0.0045, where the uncertainty is one standard deviation, derived from our measured parity-violating asymmetry in the scattering of polarized electrons on protons, which is -226.5 ± 9.3 parts per billion (the uncertainty is one standard deviation). Our value for the proton's weak charge is in excellent agreement with the standard model and sets multi-teraelectronvolt-scale constraints on any semi-leptonic parity-violating physics not described within the standard model. Our results show that precision parity-violating measurements enable searches for physics beyond the standard model that can compete with direct searches at high-energy accelerators and, together with astronomical observations, can provide fertile approaches to probing higher mass scales.

We have measured parity-violating asymmetries in elastic electron-proton scattering over the range of momentum transfers 0.12 < or =Q2 < or =1.0 GeV2. These asymmetries, arising from interference of the electromagnetic and neutral weak interactions, are sensitive to strange-quark contributions to the currents of the proton. The measurements were made at Jefferson Laboratory using a toroidal spectrometer to detect the recoiling protons from a liquid hydrogen target. The results indicate nonzero, Q2 dependent, strange-quark contributions and provide new information beyond that obtained in previous experiments.

We report new measurements of the parity-violating asymmetry A(PV) in elastic scattering of 3 GeV electrons off hydrogen and 4He targets with approximately 6.0 degrees . The 4He result is A(PV)=(+6.40+/-0.23(stat)+/-0.12(syst))x10(-6). The hydrogen result is A(PV)=(-1.58+/-0.12(stat)+/-0.04(syst))x10(-6). These results significantly improve constraints on the electric and magnetic strange form factors G(E)(s) and G(M)(s). We extract G(E)(s)=0.002+/-0.014+/-0.007 at =0.077 GeV2, and G(E)(s)+0.09G(M)(s)=0.007+/-0.011+/-0.006 at =0.109 GeV2, providing new limits on the role of strange quarks in the nucleon charge and magnetization distributions.

We have measured parity-violating asymmetries in elastic electron-proton and quasi-elastic electron-deuteron scattering at Q 2 = 0.22 and 0.63 GeV 2 . They are sensitive to strange quark contributions to currents in the nucleon, and to the nucleon axial current. The results indicate strange quark contributions of < ∼ 10% of the charge and magnetic nucleon form factors at these four-momentum transfers. We also present the first measurement of anapole moment effects in the axial current at these four-momentum transfers.PACS numbers: 11.30. Er, 14.20.Dh, 25.30.Bf At short distance scales, bound systems of quarks have relatively simple properties and QCD is successfully described by perturbation theory. However, on the size scale of the bound state, ∼ 1 fm, the QCD coupling constant is large and the effects of the color fields are a significant challenge, even in lattice QCD. In addition to valence quarks, e.g., uud for the proton, there is a sea of gluons and qq pairs that plays an important role. From a series of experiments measuring the parity-violating asymmetries of electrons scattered from protons and neutrons, we can extract the contributions of strange quarks to nucleon ground state charge and magnetic form factors. These strange quark contributions are exclusively part of the quark sea because there are no strange valence quarks in the nucleon. experiments have previously reported measurements of these parity-violating asymmetries. Using the combined forward angle asymmetries and the SAMPLE backward angle proton and deuteron measurements, a complete experimental determination of the strange quark vector currents and the axial current (see discussion below) has been made at a four-momentum transfer Q 2 = 0.1 GeV 2 [5]. In this paper, we report the first complete backward angle asymmetry measurements since the SAMPLE experiment, at the four-momentum transfers