Photoproduction of φ(1020) Mesons on the Proton at Large Momentum Transfer

Anciant, E.; Auger, T.; Audit, G.; Battaglieri, M.; Laget, J.; Marchand, C.; Adams, G.; Amaryan, M.; Anghinolfi, M.; Armstrong, D.; Asavapibhop, B.; Avakian, H.; Barrow, S.; Beard, K.; Bektasoglu, M.; Berman, B.; Bianchi, N.; Biselli, A.; Boiarinov, S.; Briscoe, W.; Brooks, W.; Burkert, V.; Calarco, J.; Capitani, G.; Carman, D.; Carnahan, B.; Cetina, C.; Cole, P.; Coleman, A.; Connelly, J.; Cords, D.; Corvisiero, Pietro; Crabb, D.; Crannell, H.; Cummings, J.; Degtyarneko, P.; Dennis, L.; De Sanctis, E.; De Vita, R.; Dhuga, K.; Djalali, C.; Dodge, G.; Doughty, D.; Dragovitsch, P.; Dugger, M.; Dytman, S.; Efremenko, Y.; Egiyan, H.; Egiyan, K.; Elouadrhiri, L.; Farhi, L.; Feuerbach, R.; Ficenec, J.; Forest, T.; Freyberger, A.; Funsten, H.; Gai, M.; Garçon, M.; Gilfoyle, G.; Giovanetti, K.; Girard, P.; Griffioen, K.; Guidal, M.; Gyurjyan, V.; Heddle, D.; Hersman, F.; Hicks, K.; Hicks, R.; Holtrop, M.; Hyde Wright, C.; Ito, M.; Jenkins, D.; Joo, K.; Khandaker, M.; Kim, D.; Kim, W.; Klein, A.; Klein, F.; Klusman, M.; Kossov, M.; Kramer, L.; Kuhn, S.; Lawrence, D.; Longhi, A.; Loukachine, K.; Magahiz, R.; Major, R.; Manak, J.; Matthews, S.; Mcaleer, S.; Mccarthy, J.; Mccormick, K.; Mcnabb, J.; Mecking, B.; Mestayer, M.; Meyer, C.; Minehart, R.; Miskimen, R.; Muccifora, V.; Mueller, J.; Murphy, L.; Mutchler, G.; Napolitano, J.; Niyazov, R.; Opper, A.; O'Brien, J.; Philips, S.; Pivnyuk, N.; Pocanic, D.; Pogorelko, O.; Polli, E.; Preedom, B.; Price, J.; Qin, L.; Raue, B.; Reolon, A.; Riccardi, G.; Ricco, Giovanni; Ripani, M.; Ritchie, B.; Ronchetti, F.; Rossi, P.; Roudot, F.; Rowntree, D.; Rubin, P.; Salgado, C.; Sapunenko, V.; Schumacher, R.; Shafi, A.; Sharabian, Y.; Skabelin, A.; Smith, C.; Smith, E.; Sober, D.; Stepanyan, S.; Stoler, P.; Taiuti, MAURO GINO; Taylor, S.; Tedeschi, D.; Thompson, R.; Vineyard, M.; Vlassov, A.; Weller, H.; Weinstein, L.; Welsh, R.; Weygand, D.; Whisnant, S.; Witkowski, M.; Wolin, E.; Yegneswaran, A.; Yun, J.; Zhang, B.; Zhao, J.

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.85.4682

The cross section for φ meson photoproduction on the proton has been measured for the first time up to a four-momentum transfer -t = 4 GeV2, using the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. At low four-momentum transfer, the differential cross section is well described by Pomeron exchange. At large four-momentum transfer, above -t = 1.8 GeV2, the data support a model where the Pomeron is resolved into its simplest component, two gluons, which may couple to any quark in the proton and in the φ.