The 2H(e, e' p)n reaction at large energy transfers

Abstract

At the ELSA accelerator facillity in Bonn, Germany, we have measured the deutron "breakup" reaction 2H(e,e' p)n at four-momentum transfers around Q2 = -0 .20(GeV/c)2 with an electron beam energy of E0 = 1.6 GeV. The cross section has been determined for energy transfers extending from the quasielastic region to just below the Delta(1232)-resonance, and for proton polar angles up to Thetanp = 145 o in the center-of-momentum system. This angular range represents missing momenta up to pm = 1000 MeV/c. By detecting the scattered protons in two segmented 3 3 m2 scintillator time-of-flight detectors, we have covered a considerable part of the out-of-plane region. The clearly visible variation of the cross section with the proton azimuthal angle fnp has enabled us to extract values for the longitudinal-transverse interference form factor fLT and for a combination of the non-interference form factors fL and fT for proton angles up to Thetanp = 40o in the center-of-momentum system. The experimental results have been compared to the "full" model calculations by Arenhövel et al. For the major part of our kinematical range the shape of the cross section and of the form factors is reproduced by the model, but some differences remain in the normalization, especially at higher energy transfers. Our results corroborate the conclusions from other recent experiments concerning the importance of subnuclear degrees-of-freedom beyond the quasielastic region, but the discrepancy indicates that the model can still be improved