The earlier search at HERMES for narrow baryon states excited in quasi-real photoproduction, decaying through the channel $pK_S^0rightarrow ppi^+pi^-$, has been extended with improved decay-particle reconstruction, more advanced particle identificati
on, and increased event samples. The structure observed earlier at an invariant mass of 1528 MeV shifts to 1522 MeV and the statistical significance drops to about 2$sigma$ for data taken with a deuterium target. The number of events above background is $68_{-31}^{+98}text{(stat)}pm13text{(sys)}$. No such structure is observed in the hydrogen data set.
Exclusive electroproduction of $omega$ mesons on unpolarized hydrogen and deuterium targets is studied in the kinematic region of Q$^2$>1.0 GeV$^2$, 3.0 GeV < W < 6.3 GeV, and -t< 0.2 GeV$^2$. Results on the angular distribution of the $omega$ meson,
including its decay products, are presented. The data were accumulated with the HERMES forward spectrometer during the 1996-2007 running period using the 27.6 GeV longitudinally polarized electron or positron beam of HERA. The determination of the virtual-photon longitudinal-to-transverse cross-section ratio reveals that a considerable part of the cross section arises from transversely polarized photons. Spin density matrix elements are presented in projections of Q$^2$ or -t. Violation of s-channel helicity conservation is observed for some of these elements. A sizable contribution from unnatural-parity-exchange amplitudes is found and the phase shift between those amplitudes that describe transverse $omega$ production by longitudinal and transverse virtual photons, $gamma^{*}_{L} to omega_{T}$ and $gamma^{*}_{T} to omega_{T}$, is determined for the first time. A hierarchy of helicity amplitudes is established, which mainly means that the unnatural-parity-exchange amplitude describing the $gamma^*_T to omega_T$ transition dominates over the two natural-parity-exchange amplitudes describing the $gamma^*_L to omega_L$ and $gamma^*_T to omega_T$ transitions, with the latter two being of similar magnitude. Good agreement is found between the HERMES proton data and results of a pQCD-inspired phenomenological model that includes pion-pole contributions, which are of unnatural parity.
The transverse polarization of $Lambda$ hyperons was measured in inclusive quasireal photoproduction for various target nuclei ranging from hydrogen to xenon. The data were obtained by the HERMES experiment at HERA using the 27.6 GeV lepton beam and
nuclear gas targets internal to the lepton storage ring. The polarization observed is positive for light target nuclei and is compatible with zero for krypton and xenon.
An earlier extraction from the HERMES experiment of the polarization-averaged parton distribution of strange quarks in the nucleon has been reevaluated using final data on the multiplicities of charged kaons in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scatterin
g obtained with a kinematically more comprehensive method of correcting for experimental effects. General features of the distribution are confirmed, but the rise at low x is less pronounced than previously reported.
The beam-helicity asymmetry in associated electroproduction of real photons, $epto egamma pi N$, in the $Delta$(1232)-resonance region is measured using the longitudinally polarized HERA positron beam and an unpolarized hydrogen target. Azimuthal Fou
rier amplitudes of this asymmetry are extracted separately for two channels, $epto egamma pi^0 p$ and $epto egamma pi^+ n$, from a data set collected with a recoil detector. All asymmetry amplitudes are found to be consistent with zero.
Single-spin asymmetries were investigated in inclusive electroproduction of charged pions and kaons from transversely polarized protons at the HERMES experiment. The asymmetries were studied as a function of the azimuthal angle $psi$ about the beam d
irection between the target-spin direction and the hadron production plane, the transverse hadron momentum relative to the direction of the incident beam, and the Feynman variable $x_F$. The $sin(psi)$ amplitudes are positive for positive pions and kaons, slightly negative for negative pions and consistent with zero for negative kaons, with particular transverse-momentum but weak $x_F$ dependences. Especially large asymmetries are observed for two small subsamples of events, where also the scattered electron was recorded by the spectrometer.
The beam-helicity asymmetry in exclusive electroproduction of real photons by the longitudinally polarized HERA positron beam scattering off an unpolarized hydrogen target is measured at HERMES. The asymmetry arises from deeply virtual Compton scatte
ring and its interference with the Bethe--Heitler process. Azimuthal amplitudes of the beam-helicity asymmetry are extracted from a data sample consisting of $eprightarrow epgamma$ events with detection of all particles in the final state including the recoiling proton. The installation of a recoil detector, while reducing the acceptance of the experiment, allows the elimination of background from $eprightarrow eNpigamma$ events, which was estimated to contribute an average of about 12% to the signal in previous HERMES publications. The removal of this background from the present data sample is shown to increase the magnitude of the leading asymmetry amplitude by 0.054 +/- 0.016 to -0.328 +/- 0.027 (stat.) +/- 0.045 (syst.).
Beam-helicity and beam-charge asymmetries in the hard exclusive leptoproduction of real photons from an unpolarised hydrogen target by a 27.6 GeV lepton beam are extracted from the HERMES data set of 2006-2007 using a missing-mass event selection tec
hnique. The asymmetry amplitudes extracted from this data set are more precise than those extracted from the earlier data set of 1996-2005 previously analysed in the same manner by HERMES. The results from the two data sets are compatible with each other. Results from these combined data sets are extracted and constitute the most precise asymmetry amplitude measurements made in the HERMES kinematic region using a missing-mass event selection technique.
A measurement of the virtual-photon asymmetry A_2(x,Q^2) and of the spin-structure function g_2(x,Q^2) of the proton are presented for the kinematic range 0.004 < x < 0.9 and 0.18 GeV^2 < Q^2 < 20 GeV^2. The data were collected by the HERMES experime
nt at the HERA storage ring at DESY while studying inclusive deep-inelastic scattering of 27.6 GeV longitudinally polarized leptons off a transversely polarized hydrogen gas target. The results are consistent with previous experimental data from CERN and SLAC. For the x-range covered, the measured integral of g_2(x) converges to the null result of the Burkhardt-Cottingham sum rule. The x^2 moment of the twist-3 contribution to g_2(x) is found to be compatible with zero.
Double-spin asymmetries in exclusive electroproduction of real photons from a transversely polarized hydrogen target are measured with respect to the product of target polarization with beam helicity and beam charge, and with respect to the product o
f target polarization with beam helicity alone. The asymmetries arise from the deeply virtual Compton scattering process and its interference with the Bethe--Heitler process. They are related to the real part of the same combination of Compton form factors as that determining the previously published transverse target single-spin asymmetries through the imaginary part. The results for the double-spin asymmetries are found to be compatible with zero within the uncertainties of the measurement, and are not incompatible with the predictions of the only available GPD-based calculation.
