Exploring the Spin Structure of the Proton in high-energy polarized Proton-Proton Collisions

by Dr Bernd Surrow (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Monday 14 Jul 2008, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Berlin

Main Auditorium

The PHENIX and STAR experiments at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory are carrying out a spin physics program in high-energy polarized proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV and eventually at sqrt(s) = 500GeV to gain a deeper insight into the spin structure and dynamics of the proton. These studies provide fundamental tests of Quantum Chromodynamics. One of the main objectives of the spin physics program at RHIC is the precise determination of the polarized gluon distribution function. Recent results will be shown on the measurement of the longitudinal double spin asymmetry ALL. Those measurements are compared to NLO pQCD calculations based on different assumptions for the gluon polarization in the proton. Future prospects such as the W physics program at RHIC to constrain polarized anti-quark distributions will be discussed at the end along with the plan for the construction of a new electron-proton/ion collider (EIC) facility.