Precise measurements of the proton electromagnetic form factor ratio $R = mu_p G_E^p/G_M^p$ using the polarization transfer method at Jefferson Lab have revolutionized the understanding of nucleon structure by revealing the strong decrease of $R$ wit
h momentum transfer $Q^2$ for $Q^2 gtrsim 1$ GeV$^2$, in strong disagreement with previous extractions of $R$ from cross section measurements. In particular, the polarization transfer results have exposed the limits of applicability of the one-photon-exchange approximation and highlighted the role of quark orbital angular momentum in the nucleon structure. The GEp-II experiment in Jefferson Labs Hall A measured $R$ at four $Q^2$ values in the range 3.5 GeV$^2 le Q^2 le 5.6$ GeV$^2$. A possible discrepancy between the originally published GEp-II results and more recent measurements at higher $Q^2$ motivated a new analysis of the GEp-II data. This article presents the final results of the GEp-II experiment, including details of the new analysis, an expanded description of the apparatus and an overview of theoretical progress since the original publication. The key result of the final analysis is a systematic increase in the results for $R$, improving the consistency of the polarization transfer data in the high-$Q^2$ region. This increase is the result of an improved selection of elastic events which largely removes the systematic effect of the inelastic contamination, underestimated by the original analysis.
The recently published final results of experiment E04-108 in Jefferson Lab Hall C extend the recoil polarization measurements of the ratio of the proton electric and magnetic form factors to $Q^2 = 8.5$ GeV$^2$, an increase in $Q^2$ coverage of more
than 50%. A global fit of $G_E^p$ and $G_M^p$ to selected data for electron-proton elastic scattering cross sections and polarization observables is presented, illustrating the statistical impact of the new results.
Among the most fundamental observables of nucleon structure, electromagnetic form factors are a crucial benchmark for modern calculations describing the strong interaction dynamics of the nucleons quark constituents; indeed, recent proton data have a
ttracted intense theoretical interest. In this letter, we report new measurements of the proton electromagnetic form factor ratio using the recoil polarization method, at momentum transfers Q2=5.2, 6.7, and 8.5 GeV2. By extending the range of Q2 for which GEp is accurately determined by more than 50%, these measurements will provide significant constraints on models of nucleon structure in the non-perturbative regime.
