TF 01092012 Colloq
Title: Inelastic Physics Asymmetries
Abstract
ISU's intermediate energy nuclear physics group is presently involved in several fundamental physics measurements. This talk will describe two measurements using inelastic polarized electron scattering. The first measurement investigates the response of the nucleons first excited state, the Delta resonance, to probe a polarized electro-magnetic probes. The excitation of the nucleon to its first excited state is commonly described in terms of a a quark spin flip induced by an electromagnetic probe. Recently however, there has been increasing interest in a second method which uses a different neutral particle called the Z-boson to induce the quark spin flip using the Weak force. A fundamental constant known as d-delta will be measured using this interaction. A second measurement determines the quark polarization distributions by looking at the response of a polarized nucleon to a polarized electron. This program will test the predictions of quantum-chromodynamics. These physics implications of these experiments and the roles of graduate students in the physics program will be described.