Nuclear dependence of proton-induced Drell-Yan dimuon production at 120 GeV at SeaQuest

A measurement of the atomic mass (A) dependence of Drell-Yan (p + A → μ+μ− + X) dimuons produced by 120 GeV protons is presented here. The data was taken by the SeaQuest experiment at Fermilab using a proton beam extracted from its Main Injector. Over 61,000 dimuon pairs were recorded with invariant mass between 4.2 and 10GeV and target parton momentum fraction x2 between 0.1 and 0.5 for nuclear targets H, d (deuterium), C, Fe, and W. The ratio of Drell-Yan dimuon yields per nucleon (Y) for heavy nuclei over deuterium, R = Y(A)/Y(d), is approximately equal to the ratio of the distributions of anti-up quarks in the two nuclei. This measurement is therefore sensitive to modifications in the anti-quark sea distributions in nuclei for the case of proton-induced Drell-Yan. The data analyzed here and in the future of SeaQuest will provide tighter constraints on various models that attempt to define the anomalous behavior of nuclear modification as seen in deep inelastic lepton scattering, a phenomenon generally known as the EMC effect.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2016

Author dc:creator

• Dannowitz, Bryan Paul

Contributors dc:contributor

• Makins, Naomi C. R.
• Peng, Jen-Chieh
• Stone, Michael
• Eckstein, Jim

• Nuclear Physics
• Drell-Yan
• Experimental Physics
• Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) effect

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2016 Bryan Dannowitz

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/92782

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/92782