The Spring 2016 Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) Run (E12-06-114) in Hall A of TJNAF

The DVCS experiment in Hall A of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility will provide high precision data necessary to map out the 3D structure of the nucleon in the Generalized Parton Distribution (GPD) framework. GPDs are a new class of light-cone matrix elements which encode the transverse momentum and spatial distribution of partons as a function of the longitudinal momentum of the nucleon. DVCS off the nucleon ($\gamma^*$N $\to$ $\gamma$N) is the cleanest process that can access GPDs. The Hall A DVCS experiment is set to run in the Spring of 2016 using a polarized electron beam with energy ranging from 8 to 11 GeV, allowing an extended kinematic range coverage. This experiment will measure both polarized and unpolarized cross sections of the H(e,e'$\gamma$)p and H(e,e'$\pi^0$)p reactions and hence probe proton GPDs. The run will complete Q$^2$ scans at $x_{Bj}$ ranging from 0.36 to 0.60. The Q$^{2}$-dependent cross sections allow the separation of the leading-twist GPD amplitude from the higher-twist scaling-violating terms. In this talk, the status of the experiment will be presented.