Accurate Determination of the Neutron Skin Thickness of ^{208}Pb through Parity-Violation in Electron Scattering.

Academic Article

Abstract

  • We report a precision measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry A_{PV} in the elastic scattering of longitudinally polarized electrons from ^{208}Pb. We measure A_{PV}=550±16(stat)±8(syst) parts per billion, leading to an extraction of the neutral weak form factor F_{W}(Q^{2}=0.00616  GeV^{2})=0.368±0.013. Combined with our previous measurement, the extracted neutron skin thickness is R_{n}-R_{p}=0.283±0.071  fm. The result also yields the first significant direct measurement of the interior weak density of ^{208}Pb: ρ_{W}^{0}=-0.0796±0.0036(exp)±0.0013(theo)  fm^{-3} leading to the interior baryon density ρ_{b}^{0}=0.1480±0.0036(exp)±0.0013(theo)  fm^{-3}. The measurement accurately constrains the density dependence of the symmetry energy of nuclear matter near saturation density, with implications for the size and composition of neutron stars.
  • Authors

  • Adhikari, D
  • Albataineh, H
  • Androic, D
  • Aniol, K
  • Armstrong, DS
  • Averett, T
  • Ayerbe Gayoso, C
  • Barcus, S
  • Bellini, V
  • Beminiwattha, RS
  • Benesch, JF
  • Bhatt, H
  • Bhatta Pathak, D
  • Bhetuwal, D
  • Blaikie, B
  • Campagna, Q
  • Camsonne, A
  • Cates, GD
  • Chen, Y
  • Clarke, C
  • Cornejo, JC
  • Covrig Dusa, S
  • Datta, P
  • Deshpande, A
  • Dutta, D
  • Feldman, C
  • Fuchey, E
  • Gal, C
  • Gaskell, D
  • Gautam, T
  • Gericke, M
  • Ghosh, C
  • Halilovic, I
  • Hansen, J-O
  • Hauenstein, F
  • Henry, W
  • Horowitz, CJ
  • Jantzi, C
  • Jian, S
  • Johnston, S
  • Jones, DC
  • Karki, B
  • Katugampola, S
  • Keppel, C
  • King, PM
  • King, DE
  • Knauss, M
  • Kumar, KS
  • Kutz, T
  • Lashley-Colthirst, N
  • Leverick, G
  • Liu, H
  • Liyange, N
  • Malace, S
  • Mammei, R
  • Mammei, J
  • McCaughan, M
  • McNulty, D
  • Meekins, D
  • Metts, C
  • Michaels, R
  • Mondal, MM
  • Napolitano, J
  • Narayan, A
  • Nikolaev, D
  • Rashad, MNH
  • Owen, V
  • Palatchi, C
  • Pan, J
  • Pandey, B
  • Park, S
  • Paschke, KD
  • Petrusky, M
  • Pitt, ML
  • Premathilake, S
  • Puckett, AJR
  • Quinn, B
  • Radloff, R
  • Rahman, S
  • Rathnayake, A
  • Reed, BT
  • Reimer, PE
  • Richards, R
  • Riordan, S
  • Roblin, Y
  • Seeds, S
  • Shahinyan, A
  • Souder, P
  • Tang, L
  • Thiel, M
  • Tian, Y
  • Urciuoli, GM
  • Wertz, EW
  • Wojtsekhowski, B
  • Yale, B
  • Ye, T
  • Yoon, A
  • Zec, Allison
  • Zhang, W
  • Zhang, J
  • Zheng, X
  • PREX Collaboration
  • Status

    Publication Date

  • April 30, 2021
  • Has Subject Area

    Published In

    Keywords

  • PREX Collaboration
  • Digital Object Identifier (doi)

    Pubmed Id

  • 33988387
  • Start Page

  • 172502
  • Volume

  • 126
  • Issue

  • 17