Speaker
Description
Tensor polarization enhances sensitivity to short-range, high-momentum QCD effects, which provide important insight to the deuteron wavefunction. Knowing the properties of the deuteron’s nucleon-nucleon potential is essential for understanding short-range correlations as they are largely dependent on the tensor force that is described by the nucleon-nucleon potential. In the quasielastic region, the tensor asymmetry Azz provides a unique tool to experimentally constrain the ratio of the S- and D-state wavefunctions at large momentum. Azz was recently revisited using modern relativistic virtual nucleon and light-cone methods, which predict differences up to a factor of two in Azz that can be distinguished experimentally. Additionally, the calculations were done using multiple wavefunctions that diverge at large x, making Azz an ideal observable for providing new constraints. The upcoming Jefferson Lab experiment E12-15-005 to measure Azz will be discussed.
