Speaker
Mr
Scott Wolin
(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Description
The determination of the gluon polarization within the proton, $\Delta G$, is one of the critical pieces to understanding the proton spin puzzle. Using collisions of polarized protons with $\sqrt{s}=200 \:GeV$ and $\sqrt{s}=500 \:GeV$ at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), PHENIX can access gluons and $\Delta G$ at leading order. Constraints on $\Delta G$ come from measurements of double longitudinal asymmetries, $A_{LL}$, of various particle production cross sections. We will present the recent $A_{LL}$ results at central $(|{\eta}|<0.35)$ and forward $(3.1 < |{\eta}| < 3.9)$ rapidities along with comparisons to various models of the gluon polarization. A summary of the current issues limiting the precision of these measurements will follow. Finally, we will discuss the possibilities in the near to mid-term future of the PHENIX $\Delta G$ program, specifically, constraining $\Delta G$ at low-x.
Primary author
Mr
Scott Wolin
(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
