Parity Violation in Proton-Proton Scattering

Abstract

Measurements of parity-violating longitudinal analyzing powers (normalized asymmetries) in polarized proton-proton scattering provide a unique window on the interplay between the weak and strong interactions between and within hadrons. Several new proton-proton parity violation experiments are presently either being performed or are being prepared for execution in the near future: at TRIUMF at 221 MeV and 450 MeV and at COSY (Kernforschungsanlage Jülich) at 230 MeV and near 1.3 GeV. These experiments are intended to provide stringent constraints on the set of six effective weak mesonnucleon coupling constants, which characterize the weak interaction between hadrons in the energy domain where meson exchange models provide an appropriate description. The 221 MeV is unique in that it selects a single transition amplitude ( 3 P 2 -1 D 2 ) and consequently constrains the weak meson-nucleon coupling constant h pp ρ . The TRIUMF 221 MeV proton-proton parity violation experiment is described in some detail. A preliminary result for the longitudinal analyzing power is A z = (1.1 ± 0.4 ± 0.4) × 10 −7 . Further proton-proton parity violation experiments are commented on. The anomaly at 6 GeV/c requires that a new multi-GeV proton-proton parity violation experiment be performed.One of the more promising ways to study the neutral weak current interaction in hadronic systems is through measurements of parity violation in nucleon-nucleon (N-N)